


Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains

by shadowsofvanity



Series: The Shattered Chains Saga [1]
Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: BDSM elements, Cousin Incest, F/F, F/M, GuildMaster!Kirito, MMORPG-style Combat, Multi, OOC!Kirito, Pseudo-Empire Building, Strategy, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-11-12
Packaged: 2018-04-07 13:51:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4265619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsofvanity/pseuds/shadowsofvanity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kirito had planned on beating SAO, with his friend Ailyn at his side. What he hadn't planned on was having something that was supposed to be fun, turn into a death-match for survival, one pitting he and his comrades against man and machine alike in a desperate bid for freedom. slightly!OOC Kirito, Kirito/Asuna/Harem. Eventual GuildMaster!Kirito. Read and Review!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. FullDive and Freedom Lost

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains

Chapter One

Fulldive and Freedom Lost

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

Kazuto Kirigaya stood before his rather impressive computer station, which he himself had constructed and set up, watching the news reel depicting the long lines and excited gamers waiting to buy, or having already bought, copies of the latest and greatest VRMMORPG, _Sword Art Online_. Black eyes watched steadily from beneath long black bangs that framed what most would describe as a rather feminine face, something that irritated him to no end when it is mentioned.

                “Kazuto-kun, I’m going to kendo practice! I’ll see you later, okay?” he heard his cousin, Suguha call through his door.

                “Okay, Suguha-chan! Stay safe, and I’ll help you with your homework later, okay?” he called back as he began to get his Nervegear ready for use. The technology, developed specifically by Kayaba Akihiko for _Sword Art Online_ , would connect directly to his brain stem, allowing his mind to literally ‘dive’ into the game, resulting in the technology being referred to as “Full-dive”.

                “Okay!” he heard her cheer before she dashed down the stairs and out the door. Smiling slightly to himself, Kazuto lay down on his bed and slid his Nervegear headset on and powered up. His second cousin was always an energetic girl, and was one of the few people that he actually liked interacting with in reality, resulting in the pair of them spending a great deal of time together over the years. Even now, she was doing enough _kendo_ for the both of them, to keep the patriarch of their family happy. Glancing at the clock in the upper right hand corner of display, he noted with excitement that there was less than a minute left until _SAO_ launched. He waited with baited breath, and the instant the clock read ’13:00’ he activated the login sequence.

                “Link…Start!”

A blur of colors flashed before his eyes, followed by several circles. Quickly running through the calibration sequence, Kazuto logged into his beta account, Kirito. ‘Landing’ in the main square of the starting town, the Town of Beginnings, he grinned and clenched a fist as he looked around.

                “I’m finally back in this world!” he cheered softly to himself.

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

Running down the crowded street, Kirito dodged around the roadside markets selling swords, daggers, spears…anything you can imagine, as well as avoiding running over passersby or customers. Ignoring the chatter of merchants hawking their wares, people inviting each other to groups, or discussing the game, he turned into a side street and headed for the west gate. A shout pulled him up short, and he half turned to see a red-headed guy running after him. The man halted and put his hands on his knees, breathing heavily for a moment, and then stood upright.

                “You move like you’ve been here before. You were in the beta test, right?” the guy asked, and Kirito blinked at him. What did that have to do with anything?

                “Y-yeah?” he replied, confused, and the guy got a look that could only be described as begging on his face.

                “This is my first day! Please, show me the basics?” he asked, and Kirito blinked at him again, feeling a little awkward.

                “U-uh…” he stuttered, and the guy clapped his hands together in what looked like a cross between praying and more begging.

                “I’m begging you!” the guy pleaded, before smirking and pointing at himself with a thumb. “My name is Klein! Pleased to meet you!”

                “I’m Kirito.” Kirito replied with a smile. The guy was a little weird, but seemed nice enough. “C’mon, a friend of mine from the beta is waiting for me in the West field. Best place for a level 1 to start.”

                “Yes sir!” Klein saluted with a grin, and the pair headed off again.

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

                “Uwahhh!” Klein cried out as he went flying backwards to land on his back in the grassy plains of the West Field, his dagger landing abandoned beside him as he curled up around the one target that no man can fully resist a hit to.

His crotch.

                “Oh, give me a break!” Kirito snorted, shaking his head with a small grin as Klein continued to roll around on the ground. “You don’t actually feel any pain right?”

                “Oh…oh yeah.” Klein muttered, embarrassed as he got to his feet and scratched the back of his head. “Just a habit, I guess.”

                “Ne, get hit in the crotch often, Klein?” a young woman’s voice chortled from nearby, and the pair turned to see a brunette with green eyes wandering towards them, carrying a short spear in one hand with a shield on her other arm.

                “Oh? Is this your friend, Kirito? She’s cute!” Klein’s eyes got small stars in them, and an instant later he was before the girl, her left hand somehow in both of his while he gave her what he thought was a handsome and roguish grin. “My name is Klein, pretty lady, what’s your na…GWAHHH!”

For the second time in five minutes, Klein was writhing on the ground in (supposed) pain to his crotch, as the girl had driven her knee none-too-gently straight into his manly area. She stepped over him and walked up to Kirito before throwing her arms around him in a hug.

                “I missed you, Kirito! It’s been so long!” she cheered, and Kirito blushed while patting her head awkwardly.

                “It’s been a little less than a month, Ailyn.” He pointed out, before looking at Klein, who had regained his feet. “Klein, this is Ailyn. She was in the beta test with me, and we partied together through most of it. I sent her a message as soon as I ran into you.”

                “Ah, nice to meet you, Ailyn.” Klein said with a bow, and she nodded in reply before eyeing him.

                “You need to work on your initial motion input, Klein.” She said after a moment, and he sighed gustily.

                “I know, that’s what Kirito has been telling me, but the little bastard keeps moving around!” he grumbled in annoyance, and Ailyn giggled before picking up a large stone of  the ground and bouncing it in her palm.

                “If you do the motion input right, and activate a sword skill,” she explained, holding the stone up next to her head as if she was going to throw it at the boar, and it began to glow red. She didn’t throw it so much as it exploded from her hand and smashed into the boar’s flank, spinning it around and enraging it. “The system will ensure that your technique hits it target.”

                “Motion input…motion input…” Klein muttered, readying his short sword with a skeptical look.

                “How should we explain it…” Kirito mused as he attracted the angry boar’s attention, easily dodging its charges as he talked. Catching the boar’s tusks on his sword, he found the words he was looking for. “Add a slight pause, and when you feel the skill beginning to activate, let it explode!”

                “Explode?” Klein muttered, before his face got the proverbial “light bulb” look and he settled into a combat stance, bringing his short sword up next to his head as it began to glow orange. Kirito smirked and shoved the boar of his blade, giving it a solid kick so it was pointed towards Klein. The boar charged, and Klein fired his technique with a yell, dashing forward. His blade sliced straight through the boar, and it’s health bar dropped to zero before it shattered into a cloud of multicolored particles.

                “YEAH!” Klein shouted in victory, throwing his fists into the air. Dropping into an impromptu victory dance, he continued to congratulate himself in a display that would have been embarrassing if it wasn’t so entertaining.

                “Congratulations.” Kirito said, interrupting his celebration, and both he and Ailyn high-fived the rookie.

                “You do realize that those boars are about as strong as slimes are in most other games though, right?” Ailyn asked with a smirk, and the way Klein’s face fell was beyond comical.

                “Seriously?” he groaned. “I thought that was like, a mid-level boss or something.”

This proved to be too much for Ailyn who proceeded to start laughing long and hard, leaning against Kirito to keep from falling over, while Kirito himself gave a couple of soft snickers before schooling his features again.

                “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up!” Klein grumbled, although his lips twitched slightly in response.

                “Of course it wasn’t, Klein! Look around!” Ailyn finally managed to say through her giggles, gesturing around the field. Klein looked and saw several more of the boars wandering around or re-spawning. Grumbling, he practiced using his sword skills again.

                “Pretty exciting, isn’t it?” Kirito asked, smiling at the enjoyment on the rookie player’s face.

                “Yeah!” Klein agreed with a grin, twirling his blade around and making a few practice cuts. “Hey, there are lots of skills, right? Like, blacksmithing and stuff?”

                “Yeah, from what I heard, there are an unlimited amount of skills. Since the game is so life-like, you can literally create new classes and skills. Take Ailyn for instance. She invented using a shield and spear together during the beta, and figured out how to be a tank with that armament. Now, thanks to her, there is the Lancer class.” Kirito answered, gesturing to his companion.

                “That’s pretty impressive. I never would have thought of that kind of combination.” Klein mused, looking at Ailyn with respect in his eyes.

                “However, there is no magic in this game. None of any kind. If you need healing, you had best have a potion on you.” Kirito added, drawing Klein’s attention again.

                “An RPG without magic?” Klein mused, powering up another sword skill. “That’s a pretty bold, and risky, decision to make!”

                “Maybe.” Ailyn agreed with a shrug as Klein unleashed his skill in a blur of red energy. “But isn’t it much more fun to move your body while you fight, as opposed to just standing there?”

                “You’re right!” Klein agreed, nodding slowly.

                “Hmm. Well, let’s move on to the next group now.” Kirito smiled, and Klein nodded enthusiastically.

                “Yeah, let’s keep going!”

**_ SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT _ **

Some three and a half hours later, a tired but still energetic and happy Klein was sitting cross legged, with Ailyn and Kirito stood together just a few feet away, watching the sun set over the horizon.

                “It’s amazing. No matter how many times I remind myself, I keep forgetting that I’m actually in a video game.” Klein said aloud, shaking his head appreciatively. “Whoever made this is a genius, for sure. I’m really glad I was born in this time!”

                “You get so excited over the littlest things…” Aiyln sighed, shaking her head in amusement at their companions perpetually child-like and energetic attitude.

                “Hey! This is my first full-dive, you know!” Klein protested, sounding slightly petulant, and Kirito looked at him in surprise.

                “Then…this is your first time using Nervegear?” he asked, and Klein nodded.

                “Yeah, I rushed out and bought all the gear and stuff just for SAO. I was really lucky to get one of the ten thousand copies. Of course, you two are ten times as lucky, since you got into the beta test. Only a thousand got accepted.” He replied, and Kirito rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

                “Yeah, I guess so.” He muttered, feeling a little embarrassed. He should be used to naturally exuberant people (he did grow up with Suguha, after all) but he still felt awkward sometimes.

                “How far did you to get in the beta?” Klein asked, curious, and the two glanced at each other before shrugging.

                “In the two month beta, we only made it to Floor 10, but this time it will take less than one.” Ailyn answered for the both of them, and Klein’s eyebrows rose. From what he read on the forums, most beta testers had only gotten to Floor Five or Six.

                “That’s pretty impressive. You two are really into this.” He said, and Kirito nodded while drawing his sword, relishing the realness of the grip in his hands.

                “To be really honest with you, during the beta test SAO was all I thought about, day or night. In this world, one blade will take you wherever you want to go. It’s a virtual world, but I feel more alive and more at home here then I do in reality.” He replied quietly, rotating the blade so it caught the light of the setting sun.

                “I felt the same way, that’s why we went so far in the beta.” Ailyn agreed quietly, watching Kirito with a smile on her face. When she had first met him, the boy had been impersonal and a stalwart solo player. She had managed to get him to open up slowly, and they had become friends, although he was still rather off-putting to most people. Not that she could tell him yet, but she was really starting to like Kirito, which is why she had been thrilled when he had asked her if she wanted to meet up after the game’s release and play together again. Shaking her head to free herself of her thoughts, she smiled and rapped her shield with her fist. “Well, shall we go hunting some more?”

                “Of course!” Klein agreed, clenching a fist, before his voice dropped into a somewhat depressed tone. “I’d love to but,” there was the sound of a stomach rumbling fairly loudly, and Klein sighed while wrapping his arms around his stomach. “I’m really hungry so…I’m going to eat.”

                “You know that eating food down here only makes you think you’re not hungry, right?” Kirito pointed out dryly, but Klein grinned and pointed a finger at him.

                “I already ordered a hot pizza! It will be getting delivered to my house around 5:30!” he declared, and Kirito laughed slightly.

                “Well, I see you’re so prepared.” He commented, and Klein posted his hands on his knees and nodded.

                “Yup! Once I’ve eaten, I’ll be back!” he said, and Kirito frowned slightly.

                “I see…” his voice trailed off, and Klein noticed.

                “Hey, I’m going to be meeting friends from another game when I get back. Do you two want to friend them to, and join us?” he asked, prompting Kirito and Ailyn to exchange glances and shuffle a little awkwardly. Klein noticed, and hastened to continue. “Hey, if you don’t want to, that’s fine! I can introduce you another time!”

                “Yeah, sorry.” Kirito said quietly, looking down. “Thanks.”

                “Yes, thank you.” Ailyn said, just as quietly as she watched Kirito. She could tell he felt bad about saying no, but hadn’t wanted to meet too many new people at once. She sighed gustily. Looks like she had more work cut out for her, making him open up to more people.

                “Hey, that’s my line!” Klein grinned, walking up to them and putting a hand on each of their shoulders. “I owe you guys, and I’ll repay you sometime. In the game, of course. Dead broke in the real world, after paying for all of this.”

Kirito and Ailyn laughed along with him quietly, all three enjoying the easy camaraderie that seemed to have sprung up over the course of a few hours.

                “If you need to know anything else, just ask me or Ailyn. Beta testers are here to help you newbies. After all, without us you might end up losing to a wild boar, or cutting your own foot off!” Kirito joked, and Klein mock pouted before grinning and laughing.

                “I’ll do that! See you guys around!” he agreed cheerfully, waving and turning away, swiping one hand through the air to bring up his menu. Ailyn and Kirito were turning to find another pack of mobs to fight when Klein’s voice grabbed their attention. “What the…? There’s no button too logout…”

                “Yes there is, newbie. Look closer, at the bottom of the menu.” Ailyn sighed, giving Kirito an amused look that said “Really?”Kirito just shrugged with a wry grin.

                “No, the icon is there but there is no button to press.” Klein said, sounding bewildered and concerned.

                “Eh?” both Kirito and Ailyn walked closer to him and summoned their own menus, only to find out that he was right.

                “Well, I’m shocked and chagrined…” Ailyn muttered, blushing lightly. Kirito nudged her with an elbow, and she smacked his arm loudly before they refocused their attention to the dilemma before that was, quite literally, before them.

                “I don’t understand though…is it a bug?” Kirito murmured, staring at his menu with a furrowed brow.

                “Well, it is the first day, so there are bound to be a few bugs, right?” Klein said, a little annoyed. He had spent a lot of money on this game and the Nervegear. Getting a bug the first day was irritating even if it was expected, but since he had food coming soon... He grinned after a moment, his easy-going nature coming to the fore once more. “Heh, I bet that the server people are freaking out right now.”

                “Yep, and in a minute you will be too.” Ailyn commented with a sly grin, pointing at the time display on her menu. “It’s 5:25 right now.”

Klein froze for a moment, his expression disbelieving, before his eyes widened in horror. Throwing his head back and grabbing his hair with both hands, he bellowed his pain to the sky.

                “NOOOO! MY TERIYAKI MAYO PIZZA AND GINGER ALE!” Ailyn and Kirito both stared at him, before sighing simultaneously with a hint of amusement. Klein, it seemed, had a flair for the melodramatic.

                “Hey, calm down and call your GM.” Kirito sighed.

                “I did, but no one is picking up. What’s going on here?” Klein muttered, confused even further. “Hey, is there another way for you to log out? Like, a bypass or something?”

                “Hmm, no. If a player wants to log themselves out, they must use the menu.” Kirito replied, shaking his head, and Klein groaned.

                “That’s nuts. There has to be someway out.” Klein declared, before making several wild gestures, one of which being jumping in the air with an upraised fist while yelling aloud. “Return! Log out! Escape!”

Provided that crickets existed in SAO, and happened to be in that field, they would no doubt have been the loudest sound there as Kirito and Ailyn both stared at Klein with expressions that clearly stated their concearn for his sanity, while Klein stood there, arm still upraised, and waited for something to happen.

Nothing did.

                “There wasn’t an emergency logout in the manual either.” Ailyn murmured with a frown. Something wasn’t right here. It could be a simple bug, but it felt far more ominous than that.

                “You’re kidding right?” Klein gaped at him, before holding up a finger as if he had a great idea. Reaching up to his head, he made lifting motions with his hands a few inches away from his skull. “I know! I can just rip the Nervegear off of my head!”

                “Is he for real?” Ailyn murmured to Kirito, as Klein continued his actions, and the young man shrugged before returning his attention to Klein.

                “Oi, don’t waste the effort. We can’t move our real bodies while Linked In. The Nervegear intercepts anything our brain does at the brain stem, remember? That’s how you move in the game.” He said, and Klein stopped his attempts with a frown.

                “So, we have to wait for them to fix the bug?” he asked, and Kirito shrugged slightly.

                “That, or someone in the real world has to unplug us from the Nervegear.” He replied, and Klein grimaced.

                “Ah, I live alone, so there goes that idea. How about you two?” he sighed.

                “I live alone as well, but then I don’t need to log off anytime soon.” Ailyn said calmly.

“I live with some relatives. Both my parents are dead, so it’s just me, and aunt, and a cousin. They will probably notice by dinner time.” He replied, and Klein got the same look on his face that he had when he first saw Ailyn. Dashing forward, he grabbed Kirito by the shoulders and shook him slightly.

“Oh? How old is your sister?” he asked excitedly, and Kirito stared at him before his eyebrow started to twitch slightly.

“She’s on a sports team, and she doesn’t really like gaming.” He replied, but Klein didn’t seem put off in the least.

“That doesn’t matt…KYAAAAA!” Klein started to say, before releasing a girlish scream as Kirito’s knee rammed into his crotch. Flying backwards, he bounced on the grass and immediately clutched it, tears in his eyes, before blinking and nodding. “That’s right, it doesn’t hurt…”

“Doesn’t this seem really, really strange to you guys?” Ailyn said suddenly, and the two boys looked at her.

“Well, yeah, but it’s just a bug, right?” Klein replied in confusion, and Ailyn frowned.

“It can’t be just a bug. If we can’t log out, it could pose a very serious problem for this games future. If there really was a bug, all they would do is shut down the servers to force-quit all the players.”

“You’re right, now that I think about it…” Klein muttered, looking around the area.

“Yeah, and there hasn’t been a GM announcement or anything, either.” Kirito agreed with a nod.

Somewhere in the distance, the sound of a massive bell ringing was suddenly audible, echoing across the entire floor. All three turned to look at its origin, the Town of Beginnings, and were suddenly wreathed in a white aura. Moments later, they found themselves in the main courtyard of the town, standing before the massive clocktower, in which the bell still rang. All around them, other players were appearing in white flashes of light, and started chattering with one another.

                “Hey, what’s going on?”

                “I don’t know…”

                “A forced teleport?” Kirito muttered, looking around. The bell stopped ringing, and Ailyn gasped aloud.

                “Look, up there!” She pointed to the sky, were a blinking red WARNING notice hovered. Moments later, it began to multiple, until the entire sky was blotted out by a massive red dome WARNINGs and System Announcements. Through the cracks at the apex of the dome flowed what looked rather like blood. Pooling in midair, it began to form a definable shape until at last an enormous, red robed figure hung above the crowd. Immediately, the crowd began murmuring again.

                “What is that?”

                “Is it a Game Master?”

                “Why doesn’t he have a face?”

                “Is this some sort of event?”

                “I’m scared…”

                “Ah, don’t worry, it’s just a part of the opening ceremony I bet.”

                “Greetings, Players.” The figure spoke at last, raising his arms. “Welcome to my world.”

                “My…world?” Ailyn muttered, a sick sensation starting to gather in the pit of her stomach.

                “My name is Kayaba Akihiko, and as of right now I am the sole person to have control of this world. I’m sure you’ve all noticed by now that you are unable to logout. This is not a defect, nor a bug. This is an intentional feature of _Sword Art Online_.”

                “WHAT?” Kirito yelled, as around him other players did the same. “What the hell is going on here?”

                “A-a feature?” Klein gasped lowly, eyes widened in shock, and Ailyn gritted her teeth.

                “You cannot log out of the game, and no one in the real world can shut down or remove the Nervegear. Should this be attempted, the Nervegear transmitter will release focused microwaves, destroying your brain and thus ending your existence.”

                “What the hell? Enough already!”

                “Come on, let’s go.” One player said to the female player at his side, pulling her towards the edge of the courtyard, only to run headlong into an invisible wall. “I can’t get out!”

                “What is he talking about? He has to be nuts, right guys?” Klein asked, turning to his companions, only for Ailyn to shake her head.

                “No, he’s right. The transmitter’s signals work just like microwaves. If the safety were ever disabled, it could easily fry a brain.” She replied, and Klein gaped at her in disbelief.

                “Then…maybe if we cut the power?” Klein said slowly, but Kirito shook his head.

                “No, Nervegear has a built in battery.” He said, and Klein shivered, shaking his head violently.

                “Unfortunately, several players’ friends and families have ignored the warning sent out via the news agencies, and have attempted to remove the Nervegear. As a result, 213 players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world.” Kayaba continued, and a ripple of murmurs ran through the crowd.”

                “Two Hundred and Thirteen?” Kirito breathed, while Ailyn moved closer to him instinctively, one hand reaching out to clutch his sleeve.

                “I..I don’t believe it…” Klein muttered, shock written all over his face.

                “As you can see,” as Kayaba spoke, several windows showing various news reports flickered into life around him. “Many news agencies are reporting all of this, including the deaths themselves. Be reassured that the danger of the Nervegear being removed from you is now minimal. I do hope that you will relax and attempt to clear the game. Please, remember all of this clearly: There is no longer any revival method in this game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted, as will your mind as the Nervegear fries it.”

The crowd stared up at him in disbelief. Sure, being stuck in the game until it was cleared, on pain of death, was bad enough, but dying for real if you got killed in battle? This was insane! Some sort of pipe dream, or maybe he would suddenly laugh and say that it was all a joke, and to enjoy the first event of the game!

                “There is only one way to be free. Clearing the game.” The now-revealed psychopath continued, uncaring of the crimes he had committed and would continue to commit. He brought up a map of the entirety of Aincrad, and pointed to it. “As you now, you are on the lowest floor of Aincrad. If you make your way through the dungeon and to the Floor Boss, defeating it, you will be able to advance to the next floor. Defeat the Final Boss on Floor 100, clear the game, and all the players will be freed.”

                “Clear?”

                “What is he saying?”

                “You…you’re making that up!”

                “Clear all 100 floors?” Klein glared at the red-robed menace. “That’s impossible! The beta testers never got anywhere close to that level!”

                “Finally, I added an item to your inventories. Think of it as…a welcoming present from me. Please, see for yourselves.”

                “’Mirror?’” Ailyn said slowly, looking at it in confusion before selecting it. At once, a small square hand mirror flashed into being before her, and fell into her hands. Looking into it, she saw her face for just a moment before the mirror flared white, blinding her and bathing her in light. Moments later, the light faded, and she looked at herself. Her Avatar form was gone, and her actual appearance was in its place. Long, scarlet-gold hair hung in luxurious waves down her back, mid-length bangs partially hiding bright amethyst eyes. Her skin was a dusky brown **(Think Yoruichi from Bleach. That skin tone.)** and her armor was tight against her C-cup breasts, giving some of the men (and women) around her a slight nosebleed.

                “Ailyn?” Kirito’s voice came from nearby, and she turned before her eyes widened and she blushed faintly. Kirito’s short, spiky black hair framed what could be described as a feminine face, his black eyes looking at her in wide-eyed amazement as a not-so-faint blush stained his cheeks. “Wow, you…you look good.”

                “Thanks…you too.” She replied, her blush darkening further at his praise and his continued stare.

                “Man, what is this?” A red-head with short, red spiked hair, a bandanna, and a rugged appearance said as he came over to them, rubbing the back of his head. “What happened, Kirito? Eh? Who are you guys, and where did Kirito and Ailyn go?”

                “Eh? I’m Kirito and she’s Ailyn, but who…KLEIN?” Kirito gaped at the red-head, who blinked at the pair of them before fixating on Ailyn again. Glaring at him, Ailyn fingered her spear, and was satisfied when he gulped and turned away slightly, moving his hands to shield his manhood from harm.

                “Yeah, it’s me. So I guess that the Mirror revealed our real appearances, but how did the game know all the details?” Klein asked again, and Kirito narrowed his eyes in thought.

                “When we were setting up the Nervegear, remember how we had to put in all of our data, and scan ourselves with the Nervegear? I bet this is why.” He replied, and his two companions nodded in agreement and understanding. It made sense after all.

                “But why? Why is he doing all of this to us?” Klein asked plaintively, and Kirito pointed at the still floating form of Kayaba Akihiko.

                “I’m sure that he is going to tell us.” Was the simply reply. As if on cue, the red-robed menace began to speak again.

                “I’m sure that many of you are thinking: ‘Why would Kayaba Akihiko, creator of SAO and Nervegear, do all of this? Well, my goal has already been achieved! I created Sword Art Online for one reason, and one reason only: To rule of this world!”

                “Damn him…!” Ailyn growled, fists clenched at her sides as she glared hatefully up at the madman.

                “And now, it is complete!” he declared, gazing down at them all. “This concludes the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch! Good luck…players!”

With those final words, the figure dissolved into the blood-like substance, which vanished. Moments later, the dome of system alerts vanished, the sky returning to its previous appearance of normalcy. That normalcy was nothing more than a façade, however, as 9, 787 horrified players stared uncomprehendingly at the space that had previously been occupied by one Kayaba Akihiko.

                “This…this is real.” Kirito murmured to himself, just loud enough for his two companions to hear him. “The genius who created Nervegear, and created a completely virtual space, Kayaba Akihiko. I used to admire him so much, so I can tell that everything he just said is true. If we die in this game…then we will die in real life!”

Suddenly, the silence broe as several girls screamed in fear, while the men started yelling angrily at the empty, uncaring sky.

                “Screw you! Let us out of here!”

                “I can’t stay here, I have a meeting after this!”

                “What the hell are you thinking?”

                “Let us go! Tell us that it’s all a lie!”

Kirito gritted his teeth as he looked around at the yelling crowd. This was bad, and it was only going to get worse.

                “Klein, Ailyn. Follow me, quickly!” he hissed to his two friends, trying to keep his voice down, before heading for the edge of the courtyard. Some fifteen minutes later, the trio was near one of the gates out of town, and Kirito turned to them. “Listen to me. I’m heading to the next village right now. Come with me. If what he said is true, the only way to stay alive now is to become as powerful as you can.”

                “He’s right. The resources in MMORPGs are limited, and can take a lot of time to respawn. In other words, the amount of money, exp, and items we can get is limited, and will be hard to get enough off once everyone back in the courtyard snaps out of it and starts flooding the area. If we want to stay ahead of the game, we need to move to the next city now, where we will have the run of the place.” Ailyn agreed softly, looking at the two males. “I’ll be at your side, Kirito. Someone has to keep you out of trouble.”

                “Ailyn and I know all of the dangerous areas, and the areas that are the most profitable. Even at level one or two we can get there with relative easy.” Kirito continued, and then both looked at Klein, waiting for his thoughts.

                “I…I spent a long time in line, waiting in line to buy this, so that I could play this game with my friends. They’re out there, in the plaza. I can’t abandon them!” he said with concearn.

 _Damn, if it was just Klein, it would be hard enough, but with me and Ailyn we could smash through, but any more than this…we can’t make it!_ Kirito thought to himself, his mind racing as he tried to figure out a way for it to work.

                “Sorry. I can’t ask you for anything else, can I? I used to run a guild in our old game, so I can’t pull them together and stay alive until we meet again. I’ll show them what you showed me. Just please send us updates when you can about good places to hunt.” He said with a smile, and Ailyn and Kirito returned it sadly.

                “Alright. Then let’s say goodbye here. If anything happens, send me a message.” Kirito ordered.

                “Will do!” Klein replied with a grin.

                “Alright…goodbye, Klein…” Ailyn said softly, as the pair turned away.

                “Kirito, Ailyn!” Klein said suddenly, and they stopped. “You guys were actually pretty cute. That’s my type.”

                “Heh, and that unkempt face of your suits you ten times better!” Ailyn replied with a smirk, looking over her shoulder, before the two raced out off the gate and down the path, leaving Klein staring after them with worry in his eyes.

 _Please, don’t die…_ he thought, turning back towards the courtyard and brining up his Private Message box, and keying up his friends’ names. It was time to get started.

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

Ailyn and Kirito raced down the dirt path as fast as they could. Kirito was deep in his thoughts, thinking about his younger cousin, and his aunt. He was sure they would find out what had happened soon, if they hadn’t already. He knew Suguha would be crying hard. She loved him so much, was always trying to help him and spend time with him. His aunt would be putting on a strong front and comforting her, hiding away her own pain for Suguha’ sake.

 _I will not die! I am going to come out of this alive, and I am going to help as many people live as I can!_ He told himself, determined. 

Ailyn’s thoughts were similar. Though she lived alone, she knew her parents and friends would be terrified for her safety. Well, she wasn’t going to die, and she would make sure Kirito lived as well.

Ahead of them, a pair of wolves spawned into existence and charged towards the running humans, who drew their weapons in response. Kirito cut one in half while Ailyn smashed the other with her shield before impaling it with her lance. Re-sheathing their weapons, the pair continued down the path, having never broken stride, both placing their hope and trust for survival in each other.

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **


	2. Illfang's Fall

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Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains

Chapter Two

Illfang's Fall

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

Kirito and Ailyn, now both level twelve, sat on the stone benches of the small amphitheater in the small town of Misha, a little over two dozen other players arrayed around them. It had been a month since the revelation of the true nature of Sword Art Online, and more than two thousand lives had already been lost out of the initial ten thousand. Yet, despite the efforts of dozens of players and parties, the first floor boss room had yet to be discovered. Now, however, there was finally going to be a meeting, and a plan would be made.

                “Okay, let’s get started, everybody!” a bluenette in basic armor with a sword on his hip and a small shield on his back was saying from where he stood before them all. “Thank you all for coming today! My name is Diabel, and I like to consider my “job” as Knight!” He rapped his knuckles on his breastplate with a broad grin as he finished speaking.

The attempt to ease the tension succeeded, for the most part, as the entire watching crowd laughed aloud, several speaking up.

                “There is no Job System in this game!”

                “A Knight?”

                “You should take this seriously!”

                “So, then is this meeting a joke too?”

Diabel simply held up is arms for silence before becoming very serious indeed, his eyes hardening slightly as he looked around at them all.

                “Today, my party and I found the boss room at the top of the tower.”

His words received a reaction appropriate to their weight, every player-Kirito and Ailyn included- lean forward unconsciously.

                “Eh? Seriously?”

                “It’s about time!”

                “I thought no one would ever find it!”

                “We need to defeat this boss so that we can all advance to the second floor, and show everyone waiting back there in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible for us to beat this game, and to be free! All of use, here, share this duty! Are you with me?!” Diabel continued, his voice growing louder and stronger as he spoke, clenching his right hand into a fist in front of himself, looking around at them all with fire in his eyes, although there was a hint of desperation there, too.

A desperation that all of them knew all too well.

It began with one player, and slowly spread until the entire group was applauding and cheering the blue-haired ‘Knight’s’ words. Several players even whistled loudly, and Diabel smiled around at them with relief and joy in his expression.

                “All right! Let’s begin planning this out then! First, everyone divide into parties of six!” Even as Diabel continued speaking, the players did as he said and began forming groups. “An ordinary party stand no chance against the boss, We need a full up raid group for this!”

Kirito and Ailyn looked around, wondering if there were any partial groups. There weren’t, and they were prepared to declare themselves as a small, back-up unit, when Ailyn caught sight of a cloaked young women sitting by herself further down the row, the long hilt of a rapier jutting out from above her left hip..

                “Kirito, let’s get that girl into our group. It will increase our survivability, and maybe we could invite her once we form a guild, if she is good enough.” Ailyn whispered into her friend’s ear, who looked over at the cloaked girl appraisingly. _And maybe you can gain another friend, someone else you can trust in this hellhole. God knows, we all need as many friends as we can get now._ **(A/N: Remember to vote for the name on my profile!)**

                “I don’t know about this whole guild idea, Ailyn…” he murmured back, and Ailyn shook her head.

                “I told you, I won’t let you be a recluse anymore. Get used to the idea.” She said with a grin, tugging him out of his seat and over to the girl. Sitting down next to her, she smiled warmly at the girl. “Hey, my name is Ailyn. My friend and I were wondering if you had gotten left out?”

                “No, I didn’t. Everyone seemed to know each other already, so I figured that I would just stay out of the way.” The girl replied, her voice soft and sweet, and Ailyn’s smile grew.

                “Ah, a solo player. My friend and I duo, but why don’t you join our group?” she asked, and the girl looked at her in surprise from beneath her cloak’s hood. Ailyn noticed and continued. “Diabel said we can’t beat this thing solo. Being in a group will increase your odds of survival, because we can cover you if you need to heal.”

The girl seemed to think about it for a moment, before nodding slowly in agreement. Kirito quickly opened up his menu and sent her an invite, which was promptly accepted. Immediately, the Party section of the HUD expanded as another health bar appeared, and both Ailyn and Kirito looked at the name beside it.

                “Asuna, huh…it is a pleasure to meet you, Asuna. We looked forward to fighting by your side.” Ailyn bowed her head slightly in greeting, a gesture that Asuna returned.

                “Okay, have you formed your parties?” Diabel asked, seeing that the chatter had died down and that most of the players were looking at him again. At the various sounds of agreement, he smiled and nodded. “Alright! Now then…”

                “Just a second!” a loud and obnoxious voice yelled, interrupting him. Everyone turned to see middle-aged fellow with spiky light-brown hair standing at the top of the amphitheater steps. He jumped down from bench row to bench row until he skidded to a halt next to Diabel, who was looking at him with a surprised and confused expression. “My name’s Kibaou. I wanna say something before we take on the boss!”

Diabel blinked at the man, but good-naturedly gestured for him to go ahead and say what he wanted to say. Turning to the crowd, Kibaou posted his hands on his hips with an angry expression.

                “Some of you here need to apologize to the two thousand players who have died so far!” he yelled, pointing a finger in condemnation at the group as a whole, who murmured in surprise.

                “Kibaou, are you talking about the beta testers?” Diabel asked carefully, and Kibaou nodded choppily.

                “Of course I am! On the day this stupid game started, the beta guys ditched us beginners, and then they all just disappeared! Taking all the good hunting spots, and easy quests for themselves, so that they could get stronger faster than us! Then, they just ignored us!”

His face took on a dark scowl, and Ailyn shivered slightly as he raked the stands with his eyes, carefully examining each player with malicious eyes.

                “I’m sure someone here was in the beta! They should get on their knees and apologize, and then give us all the items and gold that they have! Otherwise, how can we trust them as party members?”

The crowd murmured their discontent, several players staring at the loudmouth in disbelief. Was he a complete moron? Demanding that players hand over their hard-earned items and money?

                “May I speak?” an older male voice, slow, strong, and deep came from the crowd as a large bald black man got to his feet. At least six feet tall and broad-shouldered, his physique perfectly matched the large battle-axe that was slung over his back. He calmly walked up in front of Kibaou, who was forced to bend his head back as the other man towered over him. “My name is Agil. Kibaou, tell me if I hear you correctly. You’re saying that, because the beta testers were not watching over them for every moment, it is the fault of those beta testers that everyone who has died, died? That the beta testers should take responsibility, apologize, and compensate those still alive?”

                “Y-yeah, that’s right!” Kibaou said loudly, clearly feeling off-balanced that someone was not immediately agreeing with him.

                “Hn.” Agil grunted as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small brown book. “You got this guide book, right? It’s free at any item shop.”

                “O-of course I did!” Kibaou replied, not entirely sure where the large man was going. “Why?”

                “The entire book was written by a beta tester, using information freely given by other beta testers.” Agil said calmly, and the watching crowd shifted, surprised. Many had not known that, and it certainly did not paint beta testers in an ill light if they were creating such a helpful item. Kibaou gritted his teeth angrily, seeing that he was losing what support his idea might have had from the crowd. Agil turned his back to the brown-haired man, and faced the crowd. “Listen to me. Everyone has and had equal access to this information. Yet, many, many players have died. I had thought that what we were here to talk about was how to learn from their deaths, and how we can defeat the boss. To get one step closer to freedom. Do not lay the blame on the beta testers. Lay the blame upon those who did not heed the warnings of those who knew how to live.”

Agil turned his gaze back to Kibaou for a long moment, his expression daring the troublemaker to disagree. He didn’t take, the dare, instead scoffing in annoyance and going to sit down in the front row. Agil nodded slightly to Diabel and returned to his own seat.

                “Al right, then! Let’s resume!” Diabel said after a moment of silence, pulling his own copy of the guide bok out of his pocket. He held it up slightly, making sure everyone could see it. “This is the newest edition of the Guide Book, and it contains strategic information on the boss.”

The crowed murmured their surprise and their pleasure. Advanced information and warnings when going into a boss fight, or any fight of any kind, is a very good thing indeed.

                “Now, according to this, the boss is called ‘Illfang the Kobold Lord’. He has several minion-type monsters protecting him, called ‘Ruin Kobold Knights’. He is equipped with an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one enters the red zone, he will switch to a large sword-type weapon called a Talwar. He will also change his attack and defense pattern, so we will have to be prepared to change our own quickly. The best idea will to surround him at that point, and attack from all sides. That should give us an advantage.”

                “Wow…”

                “This guide book thing is amazing!”

                “Yeah, I need to read mine more, I guess.”

                “Same here.”

                “That concludes the briefing.” Diabel flipped the guide book shut and put it away. “Now, item distribution will be handled by the system. Of course, the majority of the experience that comes from defeating the boos will go to the party of whoever lands the last blow, but don’t do anything stupid to make sure you get the last hit! This game is truly deadly now, and no amount of EXP or items is good enough to die for. Any objections or questions?”

The amphitheatre was silent for a long moment, and Diabel nodded firmly.

                “Alright then, we leave for the boss room at ten in the morning. Get some sleep, double check your gear! See you all there!”

The crowd broke up, several going down to talk to Diabel, while others headed out to train, item farm, or check out the marketplaces. All of them wanted to be as prepared as humanly possible. After all, they all wanted to stay alive.

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

The clearing party, gather together once more (for the most part) in the small central square talked and relaxed together, getting to know one another. Several players watched and cheered as Diabel and Kibaou engaged in a drinking contest, despite that the inability to get drunk.

Out of sight, on the wall of a stone planter that was in the shadows of a road leading off of the square, sat Asuna, a bread roll in her hands. Biting into it, she was forced to jerk her head back sharply in a tearing motion to get any of it into her mouth, and then had to chew hard before she was able to swallow it.

                “It’s pretty tasty, isn’t it?” a voice asked quietly, and Asuna turned to see the black-haired young man whose group she had joined for the raid standing there, smiling slightly. “Do you mind if I join you?”

                “If you want.” Asuna replied softly, stealing a glance as he sat down. Some might have described his looks as feminine, but to her they seemed equal parts strong and gentle and she blushed lightly, glad for the darkness of the street and her hood so that he couldn’t see it. She shifted further away from him hastily, wondering why she felt so shy and so embarrassed, but the boy seemed to take no notice nor offense. He merely reached into a pocket and pulled out his own bread roll, prompting Asuna to look towards him slightly. “Do you really think that this tastes good?”

                “Of course, I’ve eaten at least one a day since arriving in this town. Although, I try to switch it up sometimes.” He replied, and Asuna cocked her head to the side in confusion.

                “Switch it up?” she echoed curiously, and Kirito smiled that small smiel again as he pulled out a small brown jar and placed it as close to her as he could.

                “Put some on the bread, and you’ll see what I mean.” He said, and Asuna hesitantly reached out and tapped the top of the jar. Her fingers gained a white glow about them, and she slowly ran them over her bread. Immediately, a spread of cream appeared on the roll, and she blinked in surprise.

                “Cream?” she said slowly, the word both a question and a statement at the same time. Looking over at the raven-haired swordsmen, she saw him taking a large bite out of his own cream-covered roll. Looking back at her won, she lifted it slowly up to her mouth, hesitated, and took a tentative bite. Her eyes immediately brightened in pleasure. It actually tasted good! Really good! She quickly demolished the rest of the roll and let out a happy sigh.

                “It’s the reward for a quest called “The Heifer Strikes Back”, about one town back. If you want to complete it, I can show you the trick?” Kirito offered, and she was strongly tempted to accept the offer, so much so that shaking her head was almost impossible.

                “No, thank you. I didn’t come to this town to eat good food.” She said softly, and Kirito eyed her calmly.

                “Why did you then?” were his next words.

                “So that I can still be me. I would rather be myself and fight until the very end rather than sit and rot away in fear at an inn, back in the first town. Even if I get killed by a monster, I don’t want to lose to this so-called game, to this world. No matter what, I want to be myself.” Asuna told him softly, but with a hint of steel in her tone.

                “Well, you won’t die with us, so don’t worry.” Ailyn said as she walked up, smiling brightly at the pair of them, though she was somewhat irritated with the large amount of space that they had put between each other. “Just stick with us and focus on the fight. Don’t let thoughts or doubts cloud your judgment. Feel, don’t think.”

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

The next morning, the raid group was following Diabel through a forest area to the base of the tower, each determined to do their part and to stay alive. While Diabel, Kibaou, and their squad was in the front, Asuna, Ailyn, and Kirito had opted to stay towards the back during the long march.

                “Let’s go over this one more time. We leftovers are supposed to deal with the boss’s sidekicks, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels.” Kirito was saying to the pair of them.

                “I know.” Asuna said softly, while Ailyn simply nodded in agreement.

                “Ailyn will take their first hit on her shield, then I will sue a sword skill on their pole axes to knock them aside. Then, you switch in and finish them off.” He continued, and Asuna looked at him in confusion.

                “Switch?” she asked, and both her companions stopped in their tracks, forcing her to do the same.

                “Is this the first time you’ve been in a party, Asuna?” Ailyn asked, and sighed when the other girl nodded slowly. “Troublesome. Listen, switching means that you move to the front of the party and perform a move. It’s not really a complicated thing, or an actual function of the game, it’s just your party member’s way of telling you to make your move. It helps with the teamwork.”

                “I see…tell me what else I need to know about fighting in a party while we walk…” Asuna asked softly, and the pair nodded while Ailyn smiled a faint smile. This girl was smart, learning what she could. Hopefully, she would stay alive.

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

                “Alright, everyone! This is it, the boss room! Remember, stay with your squads, pop healing potions as much as you need to, and protect each other. Stay alive!” Diabel said from where he stood before the large stone double doors that led into the boss room. “Let’s go!”

Turning around, he pushed lightly on the massive stone panels, activating the doors and causing them to swing open. His squad carefully paced in behind him, shields and weapons ready. The darkness of the room was menacing in and of itself, and that only grew worse than a pair of demonic red eyes opened at the far end. At the same time, the room became filled with light that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere. The light revealed Illfang the Kobold Lord sitting on a large throne at the end of the room, his axe leaning against the arm of the throne. Growling, he grabbed the axe and jumped from the dais, landing on the floor a few dozen yards away from the raid group. He let out a menacing roar as his four health bars appeared on the group’s HUDs, and pixilated light particles appeared and coalesced into a trio of Ruin Knight Sentinels. Each one was wearing full plate armor and carrying a large, two-handed mace in their hands. After a moment, the trio of Sentinels lead the charge with the boss just behind them.

                “Commence the attack!” Diabel yelled, thrusting his sword at the oncoming monsters, and the raid group counter-charged with a roar, weapons already beginning to glow as the players prepared their skills.

The two sides slammed into each other in a collision of steel and sound as the battle of the first boss began in earnest.

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

Steel clashed against steel as the raid group engaged the boss party. At least a dozen players surrounded the boss while the others battled its minions, which appeared to be endless. Every time one fell, another rose in its place, ensuring that boss couldn’t be swarmed by the players all together.

                “Squad A! Squad C! Switch out and heal!” Diabel ordered from his place towards the rear of the battle. Illfang roared and hefted its axe high into the air, catching Diabel’s eye. “Here he comes! Squad B intercept and block! Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to switch in! Attack from the sides…now! Squad D, E, and F, keep holding those Sentinels off our backs!”

                “Roger that!” Kirito yelled back as Ailyn intercepted yet another Ruin Knight Sentinels mace strike. Darting around her, he swiped his glowing blade upwards, knocking its mace aside. “Switch, Asuna! Take it down.”

                “Right!” was the girl’s reply, as she darted around both and charged with incredible speed as her rapier began to shine bright green. “Strike, third technique!” She unleashed her <<Blade Barrage>> on her off-balance prey, shattering it into a cloud of pixels.

 _She’s so damn fast. Even my eyes can barely follow her blade. I guess she isn’t the rookie we thought she was._ Kirito thought to himself as they waited for their next target to spawn.

 _She’s incredible for someone who wasn’t a beta tester. She would be perfect for the guild, once I get Kirito to start it._ Ailyn thought to herself with a small smile, as another Ruin Knight Sentinel spawned. All of a sudden, the Ruin Knight Sentinels stopped as Illfang roared loudly and snapped his fangs at the raid group. Kirito quickly looked over and saw that his final health bar had hit the red, which meant he would be changing weapons and tactics now. It growled again and threw its axe and buckler aside.

                “Looks like the information was correct…” Kibaou said with a grin, holding his sword ready. The fight was almost over now, and no one had fallen yet. They were almost through this.

                “Stand back, I will go!” Diabel yelled suddenly, running past the group towards the boss.

 _We were supposed to surround it and attack it together as a group. What the hell is he doing?_ Kirito thought to himself, looking at the blue-haired man. As if sensing his gaze, Diabel turned his head slightly so that he was looking half at Kirito and smirked. A moment later, he was standing before the boss, his sword shining with a gold-yellow light.

The boss grabbed the hilt of the large weapon slung across it’s back and drew it, holding it straight out from its side. Kirito gasped at the sight and cursed.

_No! That isn’t a Talwar! That’s a Nodachi! It’s different from the beta test! He’s gonna get killed!_

                “No! GET BACK! Jump back as fast as you can!” he yelled towards the bluenette, catching Kibaou’s attention even as Diabel ignored him and charged the boss with a yell. Before Diabel got within a few feet of the boss, Illfang leapt upwards, bouncing from pillar to pillar, before ricocheting off of the ceiling and smashing into the ground before Diabel, its sword glowing purple and biting deep into the swordsmen’s chest. As he went flying back, the boss <<Charged>> and cut him again, sending his body flying across the room.

                “DIABEL!” Kibaou screamed, but before he-or anyone else- could help Illfang landed in the midst of the group and roared, his teeth mere inches from Kibaou’s face.

                “Diabel! Asuna, Ailyn, cover us!” Kirito yelled, running over to the fallen warrior and kneeling next to him while the two girls put their backs to him, protecting his rear. Pulling out a health potion, he tried to hand it to Diabel. “Why did you try to go in alone?”

                “You were…a beta tester, weren’t you?” Diabel said haltingly, his breathing and speech clearly labored as he pushed the potion away. “You know what I was doing, then.”

                “You were after the last strike rare bonus item.” He said slowly in understanding, wondering why the warrior wasn’t taking the potion. “You were a beta tester to?”

                “Please…” Diabel gasped with a slight nod, clearly on his last legs, looking over at the battling players, who were fighting hard against the boss. “Defeat…defeat the boss…for everyone…”

With that, Diabel shattered into pixels in his arms, leaving Kirito and several other players who saw watching in horror as the pixels slowly faded into nothingness. It was then that Kirito truly realized just how terrible this world really was. Sure, he had seen the “Memorial Stone” that showed all the players who had died, including how and when, but he had never seen anyone actually die before, in this world or the real one, and he was just now coming to understand as the veil of innocence was well and truly banished. _Diabel…you were a beta tester, but you never abandoned the beginners. You led everyone, and fought brilliantly! You tried to do what I couldn’t-or wouldn’t- do! I will not let you die in vain!_

Kirito rose to his feet and turned towards the boss, eyes hard and face set in determination. Ailyn noticed and was quickly by her friend’s side.

                “We’re going in.” Kirito said calmly, and Ailyn nodded in acceptance. A moment later, Asuna was on Kirito’s other side, rapier ready.

                “Not without me. I’m going with you as well.” She said, ironclad resolve in her soft voice.

                “Alright. Ailyn, take point. Asuna, you and I will protect her flanks. Use the same tactics that we used on the minions. Ready?” Kirito said in an authoritative voice, and both girls responded together.

                “Yes.”

Kirito waited for a brief instant until the path to the boss was clear, and then all three raced forwards together, as if an invisible signal had been sent. The boss’ first slash was intercepted by Ailyn, who stepped back as Kirito spun around and past her with the grace of a dancer, sword shining a brilliant sapphire as he smashed the boss’ own gleaming white blade aside, leaving him open to Asuna’ barrage of rapid sword strikes. The boss’ eyes gleamed suddenly, and Kirito’s eyes widened in fear.

                “Asuna! Step back, and to the left!” he yelled, and Asuna immediately obeyed his commands, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two by the hammering sword strike from Illfang. Her cloak, however, was shredded, revealing Asuna to be a beautiful auburn-haired, topaz-eyed young woman a little older than Kirito. Her eyes locked onto the boss, her lips drawing back in a faint snarl of defiance and anger as her sword blazed a bright pink as she unleashed <<Linear Strike>>, sending the boss flying sideways. Kirito watched in awe of both her skills and her beauty for a long moment before the roar and thundering footsteps of a charging Illfang regained his attention.

                “He’s coming back!” he yelled, twirling his sword slightly in preparation to attack.

                “It looks like we have his attention! Let’s << Blitz>> him, hard and fast! Kirito!” Ailyn shouted, and Kirito nodded tightly. The << Blitz>> was a collaboration move he and Ailyn had created, intended for Ailyn to rock a target  back on its feet before Kirito dashed in with his speed and eviscerate it. It was designed for large groups of mobs (monsters) and, as luck would have it, bosses.

                “Asuna! Hard and fast, don’t let up! Your most powerful strikes!” he called, and Asuna nodded tightly as the two swordsmen took their places to the sides and just behind Ailyn. “Ailyn, go!”

                “Right! <<Charging Lunge!>>” Ailyn cried out, putting her shield back and thrusting her lance forward. A moment later, she was streaking towards the boss with impressive speed. Her lance smashed into the boss, knocking it back a few steps. The instant its feet were still again, Ailyn was already on it. <<Onslaught!>>, <<Shield Barrage!>>, and last but not least, <<Lockdown Blow!>>.”

Ailyn’s lance seemed to blur, pummeling the boss repeatedly, preventing it from retaliating, before she smashed it three times with her shield, before finishing off with an enhanced strike to one of its legs. The system immediately accepted the debilitating attack and slowed the boss’ movement speed by 15%, making it something akin to a sitting duck to people as fast as Kirito and Asuna. She immediately leapt back, leaving Kirito and Asuna an open approach on the boss.

                “My turn! <<Vorpal Strike!>>, <<Flashing Penetrator!>>, <<Reaver!>>, and <<Backstab!>>.” Kirito darted in, sword flashing in the light of the boss room as he unleashed his own fury upon the boss, first with a single, well-placed and high speed attack, followed by a series of rapid, shallower cuts. Landing, he unleashed a vicious, leaping uppercut that carried him above the boss. Landing on its back, he plunged his sword into its thick skin before leaping off, spinning in midair to land facing the boss. Again, the system recorded the debilitating strike, and lowered the boss’ attack and speed by 15%.

                “Alright! <<Flashing Penetrator!>>, <<Linear Strike!>>, and <<Blade Barrage!>>.” Asuna cried out, sending her own hurricane of blows into the boss, sending it staggering as its health bar dropped rapidly.

The end result of the party’s triple barrage of attacks was that the boss was down to 300 HP (Health Points), and stuck in the middle of the triangle that the trio had created, with themselves as the three points. The other players watched in muted awe at the three players who had, seemingly, smashed the boss with relative ease, leaving it close (relatively speaking) to death

 _Damn them! The must be beta testers! Those bastards! I’m not going to let them take the glory, or the items! I’ll finish this myself!_ Kibaou growled to himself mentally, before charging the boss with a cry, his sword beginning to shine with energy as he prepared to unleash his most powerful attack.

                “Stop, Kibaou! What are you doing?” he heard Agil yell from behind him, but the brunette ignored the dark skinned man and continued his charge.

Kirito’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the charging Kibaou, and the boss. While he didn’t care if Kibaou got the last hit bonus item or not, the boss was being too passive. It was just sitting there, so what in the world could it be…?

His question was answered as the boss suddenly shone with a red light, and seemed to grow before their eyes. Its body bulged as muscles became visibly larger. The debuffs that Kirito and Ailyn had laid on it vanished as it howled to the heavens.

 _Shit! It berserked! This never happened in the beta! I never even knew that SAO_ had _a berserk function for bosses!_ Kirito hissed angrily as the boss counter-charged Kibaou, his movement having attracted its wrath. The image of Diabel dying in his arms flashed through his mind, and he gritted his teeth angrily and shook his head. _I don’t let anyone else die!_

Decision made, he poured on all of his speed and dashed in front of Kibaou, kicking the man away even as Illfang’s glowing purple blade swept down on them. Kibaou yelled out in shock as he went flying away, while Kirito let out a scream of pain as the glowing Nodachi bit into him, cutting an enormous gash across his chest and sending him flying backwards into Asuna, knocking both to the ground.

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

Asuna groaned as she shook her head slightly with a wince, smarting slightly from the speed and force that Kirito had hit her with when they collided. Glancing down at him, her eyes flew open and she let out a soft gasp of fear.

Kirito was hanging onto life by a thread. He had a mere 25 health points remaining. If the boss so much as blew hot air at him, he would die instantly. For some reason, one that she didn’t really have the time to think about, the idea of Kirito dying terrified her.

                “Kirito! Come on, don’t die! Drink this potion, qu…ickly…” Asuna said frantically, holding out a health potion, her voice stuttering off at the end as massive shadow loomed over the pair. She looked up fearfully, to see that it was Illfang, surrounded by the red aura that indicated Berserk mode, his massive sword starting to fall. Asuna, instead of dodging and saving herself, grabbed her rapier and held it overhead to block, in a likely futile attempt to save Kirito.

                “RAGH!!!” a deep voice roared as a green streak of light flew over the pair, smashing their incoming death away. There stood Agil, battle-axe still shining green and outstretched behind and above his shoulder from the massive blow he had used to save their lives. The man turned to Asuna, glanced at Kirito, and grinned. “Heal him up, girl! We will hold it off until the kid is back on his feet and you three can finish it off!”

The boss leaped backwards, landing hard with one clawed hand digging furrows in the marble floor of the room, sword held out by its side, and roared angrily, clearly displeased with losing its prey. As Asuna put the health potion to Kirito’s lips, Ailyn appeared next to them, and Agil’s party charged with a roar, Agil storming after them, brandishing his axe and giving a loud war cry. The boss rumbled in fury as it was forced to hold its sword in front of its head and hunker down under the hail of blows smashing into its guard as Agil and his party gave it everything they had.

Alas, it was not enough to break the beast’s guard. It stomped hard on the ground and spun its blade, the pressure throwing the attacking players back, and then it leapt into the air, sword glowing. Kirito gasped, recognizing the move that had resulted in Diabel’s death. Except this time, and entire party-that had saved his life, and that of Asuna- would be the ones too die. Grabbing his sword, he lunged to his feet.

                “WATCH OUT!” he roared, holding his sword over his back as it began to shine. Down the boss came, howling its triumph, and Kirito’s eyes narrowed. “Not if I hit you first! <<Skyward Scythe!>>.” He unleashed his skill, flashing into the heavens to intercept the boss in midair, landing a heavy blow to its midsection. The boss was knocked off course, and it plummeted to the ground, thankfully not landing on any players. Kirito hit the ground and rolled back onto his feet, charging towards the boss. “Asuna, Ailyn! One more <<Blitz>> is all we need. In position!”

                “Roger that! On point!” Ailyn acknowledged, leveling her lance at the boss and charging once more, shield before her as she swept towards it like an unstoppable juggernaut.

                “I have the left side!” Asuna cried as she fell into step beside Kirito.

The boss clambered to its feet, snarling in defiance as it faced the oncoming trio of players. Its sword came up, and began to shine as once again a sword skill was charged in preparation to unleash death. Ailyn smashed into the boss like a hammer, sending both of them reeling back, horribly of balance and vulnerable. Fortunately for Ailyn, and unfortunately for the boss, Ailyn had friends that the boss didn’t. Kirito and Ailyn swept in, blades flashing as they unleashed a barrage of sword skills on the boss. The fight finally ended when Kirito cut its head in half length-wise with a vicious downswing, and Ailyn impaled it in the stomach at the same time. The boss gave a final howl of defiance before finally, _finally_ , exploding into a shower of pixels, flying into the air before vanishing.

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

The boss room was silent for a long, long moment, as the players watched the cloud of pixels slowly disperse and vanish. Finally, it seemed to sink in to them.

                “We-we did it!” one player shouted in mingled surprise and joyful excitement. His words proved to be a capable catalyst, as the entire raid group began to cheer loudly as a large ‘CONGRATULATIONS!’ System Notice appeared in white lettering over the entire group, small windows popping up before each that told them what they had gained from the battle. Most gained EXP and some money, but Kirito and Ailyn received a shock.

**HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!**

**ACHIEVMENT: DOUBLE TAP! TWO PLAYERS LANDED EQUAL STRENGTH KILLING BLOWS ON THE BOSS AT THE SAME TIME! BOTH WILL RECEIVE A LAST HIT ITEM!**

Kirito’s window went on to announce that he had received a Coat of Midnight, while Ailyn received a Sword-breaker’s Bulwark.

                “Hey, that was incredible, all three of you. It looked like you’ve worked together for a long time.” Agil said, coming up to the trio, who turned to him. Asuna decided to answer.

                “I never met them before yesterday, actually. Thank you for saving my life.” She said softly, and Kirito nodded in agreement.

                “And mine as well, and thank you for the potion, Asuna. I thought I was a goner for sure.” He said, holding his hand out to the man, who shook it.

                “It was the right thing to do. We’re all in this together.” The tall man replied with a smile. The other raid members cheered as the trio and Agil rejoined them, many congratulating them on their skills and for slaying the boss, although they were quick to say that everyone had done their part, and it had been Diabel’s leadership that made the victory possible.

                “WHY! WHY DID YOU LET DIABEL DIE?” Kibaou shouted suddenly with fury, glaring at them, making the entire rest of the raid group look between them in surprise. What was Kibaou talking about?

Kirito, Ailyn, and Agil’s eyes narrowed angrily while Asuna looked at the brunette with suspicion. It looks like Kibaou was trying to start trouble again, but what, and why?

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **


	3. Division and Unification

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Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains

Chapter Three

Division and Unification

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"Let him die? What are you talking about, Kibaou?" Kirito responded a trifle coldly. Although he was expressionless on the outside, inside his mind was flitting from thought to thought quickly. Kibaou had clearly not given up on his anti-Beta Tester agenda, which wasn't all that surprising, but what did he hope to gain from this? "I tried to give him a health potion, but he refused to drink it."

"Shut up! Just shut up! You're a damn beta tester aren't you? You knew that the boss had changed but you let him attack any way, let him die, just so you could be the one to beat the boss!" Kibaou screamed back, eyes filled with hatred. Every eye turned to Kirito, waiting for his response, and his eyes quickly traced over every face he could see, gauging the air in the room. He could lie about this, but if he was honest and up front about it, he might be able to improve the general view of beta testers.

"Yeah, I'm a beta tester, one of the best. I made it further than anyone else in the beta, which is why I knew as soon as the boss equipped his new weapon that things had changed." he replied, deliberately leaving out the fact that Ailyn was also a beta tester. If things went pear-shaped, he wanted to make sure that the proverbial crosshair was painted on his back alone.

"I knew it, damn cheating beta tester!" Kibaou roared triumphantly, leveling a condemning finger at him, and Kirito noticed that the players seemed to be leaning the brunette's way in this argument. He sighed internally. It seemed that raw invective and shouting still managed to win over calm reasoning. "You....you, _BEATER!_ "

"You've seemed to forget, Kibaou, that Diabel broke formation and abandoned the plan in an attempt to get the final hit himself. That is when he died, and I along with many others heard Kirito shout for him to get back. He ignored Kirito, and that is why he died." Agil retorted, stepping forward to support the swordsman who had saved his life.

Many players began murmuring in agreement. The giant had brought up a damn good point. They had all heard Kirito shouting at Diabel, though some were unsure of exactly what was said, and it had been Diabel who had tried to attack alone. Support, by and large, seemed to be shifting back towards him, but he did see several players firmly on Kibaou's side, if their facial expressions were any indication.

"And, after all, didn't Kirito save your life when the boss _Enraged_ , and nearly died in doing so? I'm pretty sure that's what happened. How much health did he have left after saving Kibaou, Asuna?" Ailyn now joined in, coming to her friend's defense.

"25 health points." the young woman replied, eyes cold as she glared at Kibaou, angry with him for doing this after Kirito almost died for his worthless hide. Many of the player gasped or murmured in surprise at the low number. They all knew that even a glancing blow from the boss with that little health would have meant death, and Kirito watched as many players more firmly joined his side of the argument. After all, if Beta Testers were what Kibaou was portraying them as, he wouldn't have come a few moments away from death to save someone else, especially someone who had already spoken out against beta testers publicly.

"Remember this as well." Kirito said finally, stepping forward and letting his eyes trace over them all. "Beta testers are stuck here, same as the rest of you. We all have family and friends waiting for us. We all have something to live for, and we all want the same damn thing: to clear the one hundredth floor. To win our freedom of this world and to kill Kayaba Akihiko. That is all that should matter to us, because we won't be able to clear one hundred floors if we are divided amongst ourselves over petty differences."

"You damn Beater!" a player that supported Kibaou stepped forward, and both Asuna and Ailyn shuddered as he leered at them with thinly veiled cruelty and perversion in his eyes. "You fucking beta testers should die like the bastards that you are, and watch your back. Someone might _help you along_. Don't worry about your lovely friends here though. I'll take _real_ good care of them. I'm sure we'll become _great_ friends."

The implications were clear, and Kirito's mouth twisted into a snarl of disgust and loathing as his hand went for the sword now sheathed on his back, while the two girls flinched away and Agil rumbled in displeasure, his own large hand settling on the haft of his battle-axe. Before the two males could _reeducate_ the bastard, Ailyn and Asuna stopped them with hands on their shoulders and some hurriedly whispered words. Kirito and Ailyn, in fact, had a short conversation, before Kirito released his hilt and eyed the crowd of players with eyes of chipped onyx. Many a player shuddered slightly as those eyes swept over them.

"Ailyn just reminded me of this, and I thought I would clue in all of you newbies. In each major city of each floor, there are NPC magistrates. If you bring them substantial, ironclad evidence of a crime being performed, they will give you a warrant for players. That warrant can range from arrest...to execution on sight. So spread the word to every player you meet that crimes will be discovered and punished with whatever force is deemed necessary. If I hear of any rapes or anything of the sort happening..." his eyes grew, if possible, even colder and harder, and the players swore that they saw the Shinigami himself standing behind the swordsman. "I will lead the party to hunt you down and kill you myself."

With those final words of warning, Kirito turned and headed towards the boss' throne, and the large door behind it, Ailyn and Asuna hurriedly joining him.

"Where are you going, Kirito?" Agil asked aloud, and Kirito looked back at the large man.

"To open the next floor, and see if it's the same as the beta. I'll send Argo the updated safe path to the first quest hub and town by tomorrow morning." the teen replied calmly, and Agil nodded before jogging over. Kirito blinked at the older man, who grinned at him and unslung his battle-axe, hefting it onto his shoulder.

"What, you think I'm going to let a bunch of kids like you take all the risks finding the safe route without someone older and wiser along to keep you out of trouble?" Agil asked, and Kirito raised an eyebrow at him with a faint smirk playing across his lips.

"When you find someone older and wiser, let me know. I would love to meet him." he replied, starting off again, followed by a giggling Asuna and Ailyn. Agil glowered after him for a moment, before shrugging and chuckling deeply as he caught up. Soon enough, the other players that supported Kirito or were neutral about the whole affair headed after them, until the boss room was inhabited only by Kibaou and his own supporters.

"C'mon, this is a good opportunity. We need to head back to the first floor and make sure a story that shows beta testers for what they really are is released to the other players below before those bastards can feed them lies." he ordered, heading for the door that would take himself and his followers back to the first floor proper. After the last anti-beta tester was gone, a feminine figure shrouded in a dark brown hooded cloak flitted out of the shadows. Brown eyes danced with mirth and cheeks with matching trios of red whisker marks stretched in a sly smile.

"Naughty Kibaou, spreading nasty lies~!" the young woman known to all as Argo the Rat, premiere information broker of SAO, said in a sing-song voice. One slim hand dipped into her cloak and came back out with a teleportation stone. "I can't let you tell nasty lies about Kiri-bou~! Teleport: Town of Beginnings!"

The famous-or infamous, depending on whom you asked- player vanished in a flash of blue-tinged white light. When Kibaou and his supporters finally managed to get back to the Town of Beginnings, they found themselves fighting a losing battle to convince more than a handful of people that Argo's story was a lie. After all, her little newspaper article had screenshots, while Kibaou didn't. And you know what they say in MMOs.

Screenshots, or it didn't happen!

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

"Ah! The second floor is just as beautiful as it was in the beta, ne Kirito?" Ailyn said happily, twirling in a small circle as the other players took in the massive rolling plains that was the majority of the second floor. A clear blue sky stretched overhead, and large herds of various neutral-beast type mobs roamed over the hills, while being watched with dedicated attention by aggressive beast-types for one to fall behind and become their next meal and flocks of flying-types wheeled over the grass.

"Hrm. I wonder if this is how Lewis and Clark felt when they first saw they Great Plains back home." Agil mused aloud to himself, making several players look at him in surprise. They hadn't met many foreigners playing SAO. In fact, most hadn't met any.

"Are you an American, Agil?" Asuna asked curiously, having met several when they came to do business with her father, and finding them a by and large likeable group of people, although there were those few that made her want to introduce them to gravity.

Preferably from the 33rd story of her father's business headquarters.

"Yeah, I was born in the USA, but my parents brought me here for vacation once, and we all fell in love Japan, sold our home back in Minnesota, and moved to Okachimachi. Been living there ever since." the African-American man replied a nod and a wistful smile as he thought of his family's small farm in the USA, and his coffee shop-and his precious flower, Sakura- here in Japan. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he smiled at Kirito. "Well, Kirito, what's the plan?"

"The first quest hub is about a ten minutes walk from here down the road. It's a small guard outpost of NPCs from the first city, who are being attacked by the surviving minions of Illfang. We help them out and they will give us a recommendation to the Mayor of the town and a good bit of Col. Little known fact, you need the recommendation to do the majority of quests for this floor." Kirito replied, and Ailyn nodded beside him.

"Now, the mobs are going to be Ruin Kobold Sentinels, so fight them the same way you would have fought the one's during the boss fight. We need to kill about 50 of them each, but since we're in parties, we will get credit for our party members' kills. Stick together and don't screw around. Remember, more things may have changed since the beta." she continued, looking around at them all seriously, receiving nods and words of understanding and acknowledgment. With another nod, she looked at Kirito, who nodded to the group as a whole.

"Alright, move out. Try not to stray into the zones of those aggressive beast-types. They're as strong as the Sentinels, and much faster, plus they work as a pack." he ordered before turning and heading off down the path, the raid ambling along after him.

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

"Are you our reinforcements?" the NPC outpost captain shouted to Kirito, as he cut down yet another kobold.

"In a manner of speaking! We just killed Illfang, leader of the Kobolds attacking right now!" Kirito said, following the UI's conversation prompts to receive the next quest. "I can only assume that these little bastards are running away and right into you!"

"As long as you're here I don't really care why! I need you and your people to push them back until my men finish with the charges that will close the little rat hole these things are swarming out of!" the captain grunted as he blocked a mace swing with his shield and ran his attacker through the chest.

"We'll handle it!" Kirito replied, ending the conversation and getting the quest, which he quickly passed onto the other raid members. "Alright, spilt up into your parties and hold the line! Timer is starting, we have to hold out for ten minutes to finish the quest! Squad A, I want you..."

**_ SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC _ **

Meanwhile, in the real world, we find one Suguha Kirigaya, second cousin to our intrepid hero, sitting in a hospital room chair, next to the aforementioned hero's catatonic body, tears in her eyes as she looked down at him, and one hand came up to stroke his cheek lovingly. As always happened when she visited her cousin, her mind drifted back to when this nightmare began...

_FLASHBACK_

_"Good match, Sugu-chan!" her best friend (besides Kazuto-kun, of course), Uzume, cheered, patting her on the shoulder as she sat down, pulling off her helmed and brushed sweat-soaked hair off of her face._

_"Thanks, Uzume-chan." Suguha smiled at her chestnut-haired friend and leaned back with a deep sigh. She had just won a match against a third-year starter of the kendo team, something she couldn't wait to tell Kazuto-kun about, but the match had left her exhausted and sore. She knew her cousin would be proud of her. He was a kendo prodigy, best in his age group and able to fight on even ground with those years older than himself, but then one day he had up and quit without a word of explanation._

_Suguha knew why, though. Kazuto-kun had found out that they were only distantly related, not brother and sister as they had always thought. Suguha had been overjoyed at the news, as she now could pursue her feelings for him without fear of what the world would think, but Kazuto had taken it in with far less happiness. He had become colder and more withdrawn from everyone, including his friends from school, and it had broken her heart that Kazuto-kun didn't feel comfortable around them anymore. For ages, all he had done was play games and do his schoolwork. Only in the last few months had he really started to open up to her again._

_"So, ummm," Uzume started hesitantly, and Suguha turned to look at her, one eyebrow raising in curioustiy that was quickly sated as she saw what her friend was doing._

_Blushing, looking shy and embarrassed, while looking at her hands and fiddling with the hem of her shirt._

_"Yes, I'm spending some time with Kazuto-kun today, and no you can't come over this time. He's going to help me with my homework, and then I'm going to watch a movie with him." Suguha said with a sigh, well aware that several of her friends had crushes on her Kazuto-kun. "You can come over Friday, though, if you like."_

_Uzume looked momentarily crushed, but brightened up at the prospect of hanging out with Suguha-chan and Kazuto-kun in a mere two days._

_Before she could reply to the offer, the door to the dojo slammed open violently, and Suguha's classmate and long time friend Nagata Shinichi burst in, eyes a little wild as they flew over the rooms occupants. Landing on Sugu, he dashed over to her and leaned over, bracing his hands on his knees, sweaty and breathing hard._

_"Suguha-chan!" he coughed, and Suguha glared at him, reaching for her shinai. She knew Nagata had a crush on her, but she had told him time and time again to address her by her last name. Before she could beat him into the mats, however, he started speaking again. "Suguha-chan, you have to get home! It's a disaster, it's terrible!"_

_"What are you talking about, boy?" Suguha's sensei demanded coming over to them. Suguha felt a tightening in her chest, a dark feeling of foreboding washing over her._

_"A terrorist attack!" Nagata shouted loudly, grabbing Suguha by her shoulders. "Everyone who played Sword Art Online has been trapped in the game! Over three hundred people have died so far because people tried to get their NerveGear off!"_

_"Sword...Art...Kazuto-kun!" Suguha mumbled to herself in shock. That was the name of the game her cousin had been talking about recently! He was supposed to be...playing...right now!_

_She was on her feet, shoes back on, and out the door before anyone could move a muscle or say a single word. She ran faster than she had ever run before, praying that she would get home to find that Kazuto had never logged into the game. Her feet hurt from being improperly put on without socks, the freshly started rain and win pummeled and soaked her, but none of it mattered._

_Nothing mattered more than getting home to her Kazuto-kun._

_Several minutes later, she arrived at her house to see one of her worst nightmares. Her beloved cousin being wheeled out of their front door on a full-sized ALS (Advanced Life Support) gurney towards a waiting ambulance. An ambulance under the watchful eye of a squad of JDF Marines (Japanese Defensive Forces). They were, however, insignificant to her right now, as was the yellow police tape that she ran straight through as she dashed towards the gurney._

_"Hold it, girl!" one of the Marines said in accented Japanese as he grabbed her around the middle. "This is a crime scene, I'm going to have to ask you to leave now."_

_Suguha, normally one to obey the authorities in her life, decided that her cousin was more important and swiftly applied the S.I.N.G concept that her sensei had taught her to free herself from male attackers. Four strikes, four targets. Stomach, Instep, Nose, Groin. Caught unawares, not having expected her to target...such areas,  the Marine released her with a stifled yelp of pain, and she used the opportunity to get another five yards closer to her cousin before being promptly apprehended again, this time by a pair of Marines. Not willing to suffer the same pain and embarrassment as their comrade, they held her arms behind her back. No matter how hard she struggled, there was no way she was getting free of that._

_"Kazuto-kun! Wake up!" she screamed, tears blurring her vision and dripping down her face, where they mixed with the rain. Her cousin didn't move, didn't respond, didn't even seem...alive. "Kazuto-kun, please wake up! You HAVE to wake up! You promised me, Kazuto-kun! WAKE UP!"_

_FLASHBACK ENDS_

"Suguha-chan, you should probably be heading home. I can't let you stay anymore and its getting dark already." one of the nurses dedicated to Kirito and the other SAO victims at the regional hospital said gently. Like many of the other doctors and nurses on the SAO Special Medical Division, she had begun to lose her patient/doctor emotional detachment with the families and friends of the victims. How could you stand to be cold and impressionable, a detached doctor in essence, when you see a 5 year old child crying because her daddy won't wake up? When you watch a girl crying as her fiancée's body is wheeled away to the morgue because he fell in the game?

Of course, even more so had they become attached to young Suguha Kirigaya. When all the other victims families eventually stopped coming to visit, she alone continued to visit. Bringing fresh flowers, talking to him, reading to him. Many of them would bend the rules until they were nigh on unrecognizable for her, and some would drive her home at night so that she could stay longer.

"Ah! Yes, of course, I'm so sorry Ayame-san." Sugu started, looking at the clock and realizing how late it was. Getting to her feet, she gathered her things and bowed low to Ayame. "Thank you very much, Ayame-san. I'll see you tomorrow after kendo practice."

"Alright, be careful heading home." Ayame smiled as the girl rushed away, heading for the parking lot and her bicycle. She took one last look at the unconscious face or Kazuto Kirigaya and turned off the light with a sad sigh. So many lives ruined, and for what?

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Later that night, in the darkness of his inn room, Kirito sat on the window sill and stared out across the dimly lit town, his mind going over everything that had happened. Diabel dying, the growing division in the player base between those that supported Beta Testers and those that wanted them gone. He glanced over at the other bed in the room to see Ailyn and Asuna facing each other, a peaceful expression on their faces, hands lightly touching. He smiled softly and returned his gaze to the stars before slipping out the window and heading off into the darkness. He wouldn't let anything hurt them, and to do that he needed to be stronger.

_Just you wait, Sugu. I'll beat this thing, and I'll keep my promise to you._

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	4. Shattered Chains

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Shattered Chains

Chapter Four

Shattered Chains

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                "Asuna, switch!" Ailyn shouted, blocking a powerful attack from the boss, and the rapier-wielder called out her acknowledgment as she dashed forwards, her blade lashing out blindingly to lay a dozen powerful strikes of her own.

                "Support teams, hold the line! The boss is entering its final phase now!" Kirito shouted to the rest of the raid group as he cut down an add that was trying to blindside Asuna. The sound of a howl from behind him made him spin, to see a Empowered Werewolf mob ready to strike him down. Before it could attack, however, there was the sound of shattering as it exploded into pixels, revealing a smirking Argo, her twin claws gleaming in the moonlight.

                "Careful, Kiri-bou~!" she chastised him playfully. "If you died, then where would we be?"

                "Thanks, Argo. Let's end this!" he grinned back, gripping his sword's hilt tighter. The assassin-class/informant nodded with a smile before vanishing, only to reappear, cutting down another add as Kirito raised his voice in warning to the raid. "Phase Change now!"

With perfect timing, Were-King Lycaon, the floor boss for the Fifth Floor, howled to the sky. High above the forest clearing that served as the boss room, the full moon was turning blood red, a change mirrored by the boss' eyes. The creature seemed to bulge at the seams, growing larger and blood red letters spelled out the words **Were-King Lycaon, Blood Moon Form** in midair.

The boss' head dropped back down from its howl, crimson eyes gleaming maliciously, and Kirito shouted his next orders as a symbol appeared over the boss, before the boss vanished from sight.

                "Form Square! **FORM SQUARE!** " he roared, and the DPS players scampered into the center of the clearing, the tanks hurriedly surrounding them in a bastardized version of a Roman legion's hollow square defensive phalanx.

The Were-King's final phase was a dangerous one, the scout groups had discovered. The First Phase, New Moon, was easy. The boss had stats as low as those of the hordes of Weakened Werewolf mobs that he would summon. The second phase, Full Moon, had the boss much stronger, moving faster and hitting harder, with fewer but more powerful Empowered Werewolf mobs. This final phase, however, was truly dangerous. His power and speed was nearly tripled, and all of his abilities had passive Lifesteal, in that successful hits would heal him a portion of the damage done. The Bloodcrazed Werewolfs that he summoned were even faster, and the general consensus had been that he was unbeatable. Until, that is, Kirito and his people took a crack at it. He, Ailyn, Asuna, Argo, and Agil, along with Klein and his friends, had gone in and fought the boss almost until its defeat, being forced to retreat when the number of adds became too much for them to handle. However, the intel they brought back was irreplaceable: the boss self-destructs. During the fight, Argo (being the cute little spy/information broker that she was) noticed the skull and crossbones of an old RPG favorite hanging over the boss' head. Doom. If they could survive the onslaught for three minutes, the boss would die.

Far easier said than done.

                "Stay together!" Kirito ordered, eyes flicking about from his place behind Ailyn. "DPS, remember to work together to cut down your adds as fast as possible, before they drain the tanks to much!"

Noises of affirmation and the sound of people, weapons, and armor shifting was his response, and he smiled grimly as he prepared to defend Ailyn. There was dead silence for a long moment, and then a cascade of blood-curdling howls shook the air as the mobs appeared at blinding speeds, unleashing a hurricane of blows at the tanks before being cut down by the DPS.

                "Two minutes, thirty seconds remaining! Hold together! Thirty seconds to tank switch!" Kirito barked, just before another wave attacked. Thirty seconds later, he barked again. "Two minutes! Tank Team One, step back! Tank Team Two, step forward!"

The players moved swiftly to follow his order, the first line of tanks stepping back and popping health pots while the second, uninjured line stepped forward to replace them just as another wave appeared. For a short while that seemed to take an eternity, the air was filled with nothing but grunts of pain, clashing steel, and blood-chilling howls.

                "Alright, this is it! One minute left. Do not falter! If one of us goes down, we will all die! Protect each other, heal when you need to, and stay alive!" Kirito shouted as the adds dispersed and the boss himself began to attack the phalanx, landing a barrage of blows on a pair of targets before flitting away with impossible speeds to do the same to a separate pair.

                "Kirito, we can't hold much longer!" Ailyn shouted, staggering back and falling to one knee as she clutched a red, pixilated gash across her stomach with one hand while tossing back a health pot with the other. "He's too strong, we should warp out and come back at a higher level!"

                "No! We only need another thirty seconds! If we break formation to warp out, we will lose people! Just stay in formation!" Kirito shouted back, pulling a heavily wounded tank backwards just before the boss could finish him off. Biting back a scream of pain from the damage he sustained in doing so, Kirito downed a potion and checked the timer. "Thirty seconds!"

                "Kirito!" he heard Argo scream, and he spun to see her on the ground, trying vainly to crawl away from the boss, who had appeared from nowhere and struck down two tanks just as they were trying to switch out with another pair to heals. Dispersing pixels told Kirito of their fate, and he bit his lip hard enough that, in the real world, he would have drawn blood. Readying his sword, he charged the boss with a hoarse shout. Lycaon snarled in defiance, his hunt disrupted, and faced the challenger, rushing to meet him as a deadly dance began.

Twenty seconds....Kirito ducked and spun under a swiping claw, laying a heavy strike across the Were-King's abdomen, only for it to heal over again immediately after as a second strike clipped his shoulder, wounding him for nearly a fifth of his health and healing the boss over again.

Fifteen seconds...Kirito dropped to the ground to avoid another blow, before dashing between the beast's legs and stabbing it between the legs. As it howled in rage and turned to face him, he smirked a little and popped a potion. Step One, attract boss' attention and save Argo: CHECK! Step Two, survive pissed off werewolf-king being entirely focused on killing him: Working On It.

Ten Seconds...Kirito screamed in agony as he dodged the Were-King's razor-tipped hands, only for a clawed foot to lash out and catch him directly in the chest, sending him hurtling across the clearing and through several trees before he slammed into another and slid down it, barely alive and totally incapacitated from the pain.

Five Seconds...the boss rushed towards him, ignoring the desperate attempts of Kirito's comrades to distract it, before another group of adds swarmed them, preventing them from helping the swordsman.

Four Seconds...Lycaon phased into being before Kirito's slumped form, growling down at him with what sounded like satisfaction.

Three Seconds...red eyes gleamed sadistically as one clawed hand grasped the inert player and lifted him into the air, towards a mouth that gaped open, saliva dripping off of large, serrated fang-like teeth.

Two Seconds...a dazed Kirito stared defiantly at his death. If he was going to die, it would be with courage, not fear.

One second...just as the boss prepared to devour the young player, a large spear came whistling through the air and slammed into the boss' hand, forcing him to drop Kirito as he howled in rage and turned to face the thing that dared interrupt his hunt again. A young woman dressed in medium chainmail armor stood facing him defiantly, another spear in hand, grey eyes narrowed fearlessly beneath silver-grey bangs, a smirk firmly on her lips as the boss reared back to smite her. An instant later...

Zero Seconds...the boss shattered into thousands of pixels, along with the surviving Bloodcrazed Werewolf mobs. The girl's smirk grew before it turned into an expression of concern and fear as she raced to Kirito's unmoving body. Falling to her knees beside him, she pulled his head into her lap and began digging around in her pouches for a health potion. Her panic visibly grew as her hands came up empty, and Kirito's health continued to trickle ever lower for some reason. She watched in horror as the bar inched inexorably towards zero, only for hands to appear and force a health potion into his mouth, tipping back and depositing its contents into his system, bringing him back from the brink of death.

The girl looked up to see Ailyn, Asuna, and Argo kneeling near her, while the other clearing members milled about nearby, looking on in concern.

                "Thank you very much for saving his life!" Ailyn cried in relief and joy, staring at the grey-eyed girl with tears in her eyes and a bright smile.

                "Of course, I couldn't let him die." the girl replied, brushing his hair off of his face gently, looking down at him again with a slight blush and warmth in her eyes, something that didn't go unnoticed by the other girls. Any questions or comments they might have made, however, were promptly removed from their minds when Kirito stirred with a groan and opened his eyes. Blinking a little blearily, he looked up at the face above him and smiled.

                "So, you saved me, Sinon. I'm glad you decided not to give up." he said softly, and the trio of girls all looked sharply between the two, wondering how they knew each other. Sitting up, Kirito shook his head as if to clear it and looked around before smiling. "I'm glad you girls are all alright. That was a pretty tough fight. We lose anyone other than those two tanks?"

                "No, but Kirito, you almost died! Show a little concern for yourself!" Asuna scolded, and Kirito rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and smiled at her broadly.

                "Eh, I'm still alive, so not to worry!" he said cheerfully before becoming solemn again. "I just wish we hadn't lost anyone..."

                "You tried your hardest, Kirito. No one expects anything less. What you did was noble, brave, and very foolish." Agil boomed, coming over and pulling Kirito to his feet by the scruff of his neck before clapping him on the back hard, nearly sending him to the ground again. "Good work. Now, I believe you and your lady friend should have the honor of opening the sixth floor."

Kirito nodded, still smiling, and looked over at Sinon, who was looking nervously at Ailyn, Asuna and Argo. All three young women were staring at her hard, scrutinizing her, and it was kind of scary. It was like they were a pack of wolves and she was a small animal being surrounded until they decided to pounce.

                "Hey now, no need to look nervous, Sinon. Opening a new floor is easy and safe! C'mon, let me show you how it's done." Kirito said reassuringly, totally missing the real reason behind her discomfort. Grabbing the spear-throwing girl's hand, he pulled her to her feet and set off towards the edge of the clearing, where a large archway formed out of tree branches stood tall, an impassable curtain of thorny vines stretched between them, blocking the way to Floor 6. Once they reached it, Kirito looked at Sinon again. "Now, since you got the last hit, you open the door. Just approach the vines and Interact with them. Follow the prompts to open the next floor."

                "Okay..." Sinon said quietly, feeling shy. She was normally a rather calm and cool-minded person, but something about Kirito made her feel like a shy school-girl instead of a young woman fighting for her life every day. Doing as he instructed, she approached the door and Interacted with it.

                                                                                  **Floor Five Cleared!**

**Proceed to Floor Six?**

**YES/NO**

Reaching out tentatively, Sinon pressed  YES. A flash of light nearly blinded her before the vines began to withdraw from before them, opening the path for the players.

                "Well done, Sinon." Kirito said warmly, squeezing her hand before letting go and turning to the rest of the raid group, missing the slight frown of disappointment that crossed Sinon's face when he let her hand go. "All right everyone, unlike other floors, the first city on the sixth floor is right near the entrance, so feel free to go find friends and spread the news. Make sure to stay safe and watch each other's backs wherever you go!"

The raid group dispersed, chattering and laughing with each other as they either headed back towards the fifth floor's main city to spread the word, or forward towards the sixth floor. Asuna, Argo, and Ailyn approached the pair and clustered around Kirito, who looked around at the four girls with a smile.

                "Kirito, you really need to stop almost getting killed every boss fight." Asuna frowned at said raven-haired teen, who blushed in embarrassment.

                "Sorry, Asuna. I couldn't not do anything though. Argo would have died..." he replied sheepishly, and Argo smiled brightly before grabbing his right arm and holding it between her breasts, giving Kirito a slight nosebleed and bright red face. The other girls, including Sinon, leveled dark glares at the spy, who smirked and stuck her tongue out at them.

                "My hero, Kiri-bou~!" she purred happily, and Kirito chuckled a little awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head while the girls fumed in annoyance. Pulling himself free, and missing her pout of disappointment, Kirito crossed his arms over his chest and looked through the dark void of the door, as if he could see the next floor in its depths, his face set in a thoughtful frown.

                "C'mon, Floor Six awaits, girls." he said abruptly, uncrossing his arms and heading through the door. The girls exchanged glances of confusion before hurrying after him.

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The Sixth Floor, much like the second, opened onto rolling plains. It's dominating feature, however, was the massive, glittering expanse of water that stretched as far as the eye could see along said plains. Flocks of birds could be seen flying over the water, diving periodically for fish or to harass the NPC fisherman that worked their fishing boats for fish to sell in the main city's marketplace. On the plains, more powerful versions of the beast-type mobs, both passive and aggressive, were grazing, lounging, or hunting.

                "Amazing..." Sinon and Asuna, the only non-beta testers of the group, breathed in awe at the beauty of it all.

                "Welcome to the Sixth Floor. Most of this floor involves missions along the coast, such as dealing with pirates and the like, but a fair few involve hunting rogue beast-type mobs or what-have-you." Ailyn told the pair, shouldering her lance as she kept a careful eye on the aggressive mobs. Glancing at Kirito, she smirked broadly. "This is also where the Guild Registrar is, so Kirito here can form our guild. Right, Kirito?"

                "Ailyn..." Kirito groaned, hoping she would drop it, but no such luck.

                "Nuh uh, Kirito. You're a natural leader, and all of us are always together anyway. I think it is the next, logical step to form an actual guild, which has all kinds of benefits, not the least being the ability to get an actual headquarters to sleep in safely!" the crimson-haired beauty said firmly, shutting him down hard, before putting the final nail in the proverbial coffin by turning to the other girls. "You girls agree we should form a guild with Kirito as leader, don't you?"

                "Yes, of course."

                "Kiri-bou would makes a great leader~!"

                "Yes."

                "Then its settled!" Ailyn said triumphantly, turning back to Kirito with a broad grin as Asuna, Argo, and Sinon endorsed her plan. "All that is left to do is reach Selam, the capital for this floor, and think of a name. Off we go!"

With that, Ailyn grabbed Kirito by the arm and headed off down the road, half dragging the grumbling raven-haired swordsman behind her, whistling a jaunty toon all the while. The other three girls sweat-dropped at seeing their leader and love interest hauled off like a sack of potatoes by his second in command.

                "Um...Ailyn really is...aggressive, isn't she?" Sinon said softly, still a little shy with her new companions. Argo and Asuna exchanged glances before their shoulders drooped and they nodded with twin sighs.

                "Yeah, it makes getting close with Kirito hard." Asuna pouted as she muttered under her breath. "I'm never going to get my chance with him at this rate..."

                "Oh~? What was that, Asunaaaaaa~? Are you crushing on Kiri-bou~?" Argo said, eyes gleaming with mischief as she dragged the other girls name out over several syllables. The hazel-eyed rapier-wielder immediately blushed and started stammering denials before rushing off after the rapidly vanishing pair. Argo smirked at Sinon before following.

                "Oh, what have I gotten myself into?" Sinon sighed wryly, before smiling lightly and setting off at a rapid pace to catch up with Kirito and her new friends.

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                "So, how did you and Sinon meet, Kirito?" Asuna asked curiously, wanting to know not only more about her as a comrade and potential friend, but mostly as a potential rival for Kirito's affections.

                "Well," Kirito hedged as the strolled down the path towards Selam, hands laced together behind his head. "It's a bit of a long story..."

                "We've got time." deadpanned Argo, Asuna, and Ailyn, gesturing as one to the endless road before them, and he sighed before nodding.

                "Troublesome." he grumbled, before taking a deep breath. "Ever since we arrived on the second floor, I've been leaving while you girls sleep to go train and find more quests and good farming zones. I've also been doing a little...well, some call it bounty hunting but I prefer to think of it as delivering justice."

                "Kirito...do you mean to tell me that you've been going off alone in the middle of the night to solo packs of mobs or to hunt down oranges and reds?" Ailyn asked with deceptive calm, referring to players that have committed crimes and had warrants or bounties put out on them.

                "I'm tell you that I did what I had to do to keep you, and Asuna -and Argo, when she joined us full-time- safe and well supplied, as well as protecting other players be removing threats to their safety." Kirito replied with calm and deadly seriousness, none of his normal laid-back personality visible or audible in his body language or voice. His eyes held her own for an eternity before she looked away, worry written across her features, and he continued. "Anyway, on one of these little excursions I ran into Sinon here, who was going to be subjected to a fate worse than death by a pack of oranges on my List for sexual harassment. They were going to...take the next step with her, as she was a solo player and thus "disappear-able". I dealt with them and then had my hands full keeping her from killing herself for the next day or so, before I convinced her to go back the starting city instead of killing herself."

                "But not before telling me that even though I had been nearly raped, I shouldn't give up, but keep on fighting. Fight for my freedom, my safety, and to see my family again." Sinon said softly, gazing at him, and he flashed her a warm smile and a slight nod. "After all, if I had killed myself, they would have won. Write, Kirito?"

                "That's right." he replied firmly, and the other three girls were silent before all three hugged Sinon tightly, murmuring various sweet and kind things to her, showing solidarity for the almost-rape victim despite not knowing her well. Kirito smiled at the quartet, glad the girls still had the ability to care about strangers. Many players, he knew, were starting to lose that as the months dragged on.

                "So, that's the the day you sent us a mail saying you would catch up with us, and to spend the day in the market, ne Kirito?" Asuna asked, and said young man nodded in confirmation. Pouting slightly, Asuna glared at him lightly. "Why didn't you tell us what you were doing?"

                "Didn't want to worry you. Besides, when it comes to scouting or bounty hunting, its best that I work alone." Kirito admitted firmly, and Ailyn looked at him sharply, well aware of what he was saying with the last few words: _Don't get involved, this is my problem. Stay home, stay safe, stay out of the way._

                "Doesn't matter, because once the guild is official, we can all go together." she said  just as firmly, and Kirito gave her a hard look.

                "Unacceptable. There are few female players that most of them are recognizable, and all of you stand out especially as members of an elite clearing unit. It's easy for me to disguise myself so the criminals can't figure out who I am, but if they recognize you, we could all be killed in our sleep. Leave this to me." he commanded, tone brooking no argument, and Ailyn growled angrily before standing down, even if only for the moment.

The other girls were spared further drama as the group finally came in sight of the main city of the Sixth Floor, the great City of Sails, Selam. A massive port city, it was surrounded by high, alabaster-white stone walls, with ballista and catapults standing poised to drive of raiders by land or by sea at any time, night or day. A massive mercantile fleet was protected by an equally large navy while platoons of armed and armored soldiers could be seen patrolling the outlying fields and small villages.

                "There it is. Come on, girls." Kirito grinned, and set of in a jog for the city, the girls hurrying after him.

Fifteen minutes later, the quintet was wandering through the streets of the enormous and bustling central marketplace. Dozens of NPC vendors hawked their wares, and Kirito swore he saw some other players already setting up temporary stalls to sell their own.

                "So, where to first, girls?" Kirito asked, and immediately received a universal answer.

                "The Guild Registrar." they chorused in perfect unison, and Kirito sighed, defeated, before allowing himself to be dragged along by the quartet. Out of the marketplace and to the city square they went, passing many a player or NPC guard, to stop outside of the Guild Registrar. A large line stretched out the door, and down the side of the building as players waited to form their guilds.

                "Oh well, look at the massive line. Too bad, no guild being formed, let's go check the market!" Kirito said hastily, turning to lead the girls away. He didn't know how so many players were there already, but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. However, four hands grabbing the back of his jacket stopped him, and he swore he was crying anime-style tears as they dragged him bodily towards the building.

                "Oh my, look at this long line!" Ailyn sighed loudly, a strange breeze blowing out of nowhere as she loosened her armor and pouted outrageously, scarlet-gold hair  streaming in the wind like something out of an anime. "Oh, we've walked for hours and I'm so tired! This line will take forever!"

Kirito sweat-dropped with a dumbfounded expression as dozens of male players eagerly threw themselves all over each other to offer her their place in line, all hoping to make a good impression on the red-haired goddess and her friends. Somehow, none of them noticed Kirito until the girls had already secured a place at the head of the line and Ailyn shoved him to the counter with a smirk.

                "I'd like to form a guild, please." Kirito caved with a sigh, and the girls squealed happily as the NPC nodded, turning to a fresh page in his book.

                "Name of the guild to be formed?" he inquired, and Kirito looked down at the ground thought long and hard before smiling slowly, raising his head to look back at the man.

                "Shattered Chains." he declared, and the girls looked at each other with raised brows while the NPC wrote the guild name down.

                "Guild Leader?" came the next question.

                "Kirito."

                "Guild Lieutenant?"

                "Ailyn."

                "Headquarters?"

                "None, yet. Waiting for a higher floor."

                "Any other guild members to name at this time?"

                "Asuna, Argo, and Sinon."

                "Please draw your desired guild emblem on this pad of paper."

                "I'm a horrible artist." Kirito groaned, glancing at the girls. "Any of you any good?"

                "I am, Kirito. Just describe it to me with as much detail as you can." Sinon said, taking the pad of paper and a pen.

                "A forearm with a broken shackle and a clenched fist. Umm, maybe have a chain breaking of the shackle too. Three, maybe four links?" Kirito mumbled, picturing it in his head. "Black and white, of course. Make a stark contrast."

                "Like this?" she asked, showing him the picture she had drawn, and he smiled with a nod.

                "Perfect, Sinon. That's amazingly well drawn." Kirito praised the now-blushing girl, passing the pad over to the NPC, who accepted it.A flash of light later, and all five of them had the guild emblem on the front and back of their armor, the pommels of their swords and, in Ailyn's case, on the face of her shield.

After paying the guild-creation fee, Kirito and Co. left for the city's biggest inn, messaging the more trusted members of their raiding group to join them. Kirito offered each membership in the guild, though only Agil accepted, as Klein and his friends had already created their own guild, Fuurinkazen.

Thus it was that the group of friends sat eating, drinking, and laughing together. Klein finally got to his feet, raising the mug of ale in his hand, his normal roguish smile on his face.

                "To our guilds, Shattered Chains and Fuurinkazen! May we clear this damn game, kick Kayaba Akihiko's ass, and become heroes! KANPAI!"

                "KANPAI!" the group cheered, jumping to their feet and clashing their mugs together in a toast.

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	5. Bounty and Fresh Blood

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Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains

Chapter 5

Bounty and Fresh Blood

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Labyrinth Dungeon

Floor 27               

                "This is really bad, Keita! I don't know if we're making it out of here!" Tetsuo yelled to his guild leader, who grimaced as he cut down another of a seemingly endless wave of mobs, only for another to take its place.

                "I know! Damnit, how did it come to this?" the brunette snarled, struggling to find a way out of this with his friends alive.

It had started out as a normal dungeon run, with the group trying hard to level up so that they could catch up to the Clearing teams and fight beside the likes of the Kuro no Kenshi and his guild, _Shattered Chains_. News of their strength in battle, as well as the Black Swordsman's leadership capabilities, had filtered down even to the Town of Beginnings, nearly thirty floors below the front lines. Inspired, the Black Cats of the Full Moon, a rookie guild made up the members of their school's Computer and Science Club. However, during one of their EXP dungeon runs, a member of the group, Ducker, had foolishly activated a trap, keeping them from porting out whilst spawning the seemingly endless army of monsters. Ducker had died almost instantly, cut off from the rest of the group by the enemy. Now the surviving members were fighting desperately, hoping it was a time delay trap that would deactivate if they held out long enough.

                "Kyaa!" Sachi, the only girl in the guild, and a rather sweet and delicate person cried out in pain and fear as a monster got through her overwhelmed guard and cut her shield arm, weakening her defenses even more as she stumbled back. The monster roared, raising its sword to finish her, and her guildmates could do nothing, pressured as they were.

                "NO! SACHI!" Keita screamed as the sword descended towards her...only to stop an instant from her flesh as the monster stiffened. Sachi peaked up through her fingers, wondering how she was still alive, and saw a long black blade jutting out from the center of the monster's chest for a moment before it shattered into pixels and dispersed.  In its place stood a young man with shaggy black hair, and a slightly effeminate face, wearing all black.

                "You alright, miss?" he asked gently, and she nodded with a bright blush as she placed her smaller hand into his larger, warm ones. Sachi opened her mouth in reply, only to be startled by a loud bellow from behind the boy. Both looked over at the sound, and Sachi's eyes widened again as she saw a large black man swing a massive battle axe and cut a trio of monsters in two at the waist. another pair rushed him while he was recovering from the powerful swing, but a white-clad figure darted past him, rapier flashing, and first one then the other burst into pixels. Looking around, Sachi recognized another girl wielding a spear and shield, a claw-wielder with face paint that looked like whiskers, and a girl who appeared to be throwing her spears at the stronger targets. Eyes wide, she glanced at the back of the jacket of the boy who saved her, and gasped.

A clenched fist. A broken shackle and chain.

A young boy wearing pure black, wielding a longsword but no shield.

It was the Kuro no Kenshi and his guild, _Shattered Chains._

In short order, the members of one of the top clearing guilds in Sword Art Online had slaughtered the rest of the monsters, wearing out the trap and keeping the rest of the Black Cats of the Full Moon alive. Under the watchful eyes the Black Swordsmen and his friends, the survivors teleported back to the eleventh floor, Taft, and were followed from there to their temporary base, a small and little known inn.

                "Thank you for saving us, Kenshi-sama!" Keita bowed deeply to the Black Swordsmen, surprising everyone with his use of an honorific, something traditionally not done in VRMMOs.

                "Just call me Kirito. What were all of you doing down there? You're lucky you didn't get wiped out!" Kirito said almost harshly, before sighing and running a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "I apologize for my tone. I'm getting tired of seeing people die to this damn game."

                "...You're right though." Sachi said softly, looking at her idols with somber respect. Everyone looked at her, and she looked at the floor before continuing. "We were foolish and too confident just because the last dungeon we did was easy to clear. We should have recognized such an obvious trap. I mean, it was a treasure chest in the exact center of an otherwise empty cul-de-sac. That just screams trap, now that I look back on it..."

                "Sachi is right. We would have all died if you hadn't gotten to us in time, and Ducker did die. All because we..no, all because **I** grew overconfident. And now my best friend is dead. Now I have to go home one day and tell my girlfriend that her twin is dead because of me." Keita said heavily, and Kirito shook his head, stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder.

                "There was nothing you could have done. Your guild-mate was probably overcome with excitement. It happens to everyone. I just wish we had made it in time to save everyone. I'm...I'm sorry about your friend." the ravenette said in as reassuring tone as he could manage, and Keita smiled at him tremulously.

                "Thanks Kirito..." he murmured, before his eyes widened and he blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Keita, and these are my guild-mates. Sasamaru, Sachi, and Tetsuo."

                "I'm Kirito, as you know. The mountain of a man over there is Agil, the sassy brunette with the whiskers is Argo, the scary red-head is Ailyn, the silver-grey with the spears is Sinon, and the sweet chestnut with the wicked rapier is Asuna." Kirito returned, pointing to each member in turn, who acknowledged the introductions in their own unique fashions.

                "I don't want to pry or sound ungrateful, but what were front-line elites like you doing way down here?" Tetsuo said, curiously, and Kirito exchanged glances with his comrades before answering.

                "We're hunting down a criminal. A serial rapist known only as "Fiend" to the gaming populace. He's been preying on lowbies for a couple of weeks. Seven victims so far. We took the case to a magistrate, who issued a capture/kill order. We're here to follow through on it." the young man said in an iron tone, causing a slight shiver of fear to go through the Black Cats. They would hate to be this Fiend guy if he had the likes of _Shattered Chains_ after him. Everyone knew of Kirito's promise from after the first boss fight, and very few that had baited that promise had found that he was capable and willing to keep it.

                "Kiri-bou, one of my contacts just messaged me. Fiend was just sighted in this town. He's hunting again, it looks like." Argo interjected suddenly, and Kirito nodded, turning to face the doorway.

                "You lot stay here, I don't want any of you getting caught in the crossfire. Sachi especially, you're just his type." Kirito ordered, voice no longer kind and gentle, but as cold and implacable as ice. "Let's move out. This freak's "fun" ends now."

                "Hai!" his comrades responded in unison, flitting out the door and into the darkness. Kirito was the last one out and shut the door before he could be heard racing away quickly, footsteps almost silent on the flagstones despite the speed he was moving with.

                "...well, this Fiend fellow is screwed. Good riddance to bad trash." Sasamaru said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room with the other guild's departure. The rest of the Black Cats nodded solemnly in agreement before going to bed, each silently wishing the best of luck to the hunters.

#############################

Mihigu, real name Minato Higurashi, also known as "Fiend" to the players of SAO, had a sickening grin on his face as he stalked his newest victim, a petite brown-haired girl of maybe 13 or 14 years. He had always liked loli pornography, and this game was the chance for him to live his dreams without any interference from the authorities. After all, they couldn't exactly unplug him from the game to arrest him, and he doubted Kayaba Akihiko was going to turn over the player data to the authorities when he was encouraging players to kill each other for freedom.

Besides, the chance of getting caught added a certain spice to his fun...

                "Hey little girl, what are you doing out here so late at night?" he asked, stepping out of the shadows. The girl 'eeped!" adorably, and spun to face him, allowing him to see the small dragon cradled in her arms, and his eyes widened slightly before his sick grin came back full force. Maybe he should up the ante, and do what he saw in some of his favorite hentais. Break his victim's mind and make her love him, and obey him. A cute little girl who could tame dragons?

His new, horrific, plot formulated, he quickly rushed the girl, placing one large hand over her mouth and knocking her dragon unconscious with a little-known hand-to-hand technique at the same time. Dragging both into a nearby alleyway, he forced the girl onto her back and flipped her skirt up before ripping her panties off. Leaning up, he licked her cheek, and his sickening arousal grew as he tasted the salt of fresh tears there. He loved it when they acted all child-like and weak. It made him feel even stronger.

Relishing in the sound of her whimpers, he was about to take her when he found himself grabbed by the scruff of the neck and thrown into a wall with bone-breaking force, smashing the air from his lungs. Groaning in pain, he lay crumpled against the wall, and struggled to look up. What he saw froze his insides with pure terror. Standing around him were the stone-faced, blazing-eyed members of the well-known clearing guild _Shattered Chains_. They, especially the leader, were known for their skill in battle, leadership, and for hunting criminals players like himself like dogs. They had never failed to capture a mark thus far.

                "I-impossible! You're supposed to be on the front lines! There's no way _you_ could be here!" he stammered fearfully, and Agil, the large black axe-wielder of the guild, growled at him, making him quail and fall silent.

                "We were, yes, but having the best spy and information broker in the game as a guild mate means that we hear about _everything_ , Mihigu, a.k.a "Fiend". You're under arrest for multiple counts of rape, and are to be brought before the magistrates for your crimes. Will you come quietly?" the Black Swordsman himself spoke from where he was crouched next to the girl, and Mihigu said nothing as he passed out from fear, a small but spreading puddle of liquid beneath him. Kirito sneered in contempt at the sight. "How pathetic. Like all criminals, he is a coward at heart. Agil, handle him. Asuna, Ailyn, go with Agil to the local magistrate. Argo, Sinon, get this girl presentable so we can get her to safety."

                "Hai!" his guild acknowledged their orders in a chorus, splitting up. Agil quickly and skillfully tied the still-unconscious criminal tightly, ensuring both that he couldn't run, and that he couldn't fight. Once he finished, he and the two designated girls set off, dragging the trash behind them like fish on a line, not particularly caring if he got battered and bruised all the way there. None of them would have been willing to touch him more than necessary even before he pissed himself.

Argo and Sinon quickly hurried to the young girl's side as Kirito turned away, giving the trio privacy while keeping an eye out for anyone else not of the group. Moving with ease, the two older girls opened trade windows with the girl, giving her undamaged clothes. After she had pulled them on, the two girls spent several minutes coaxing her to her feet, and several more finding out where she was living at the moment.

While the quartet was on their way there, the girl stuck so close to Kirito she might have well had her fingertips sewn onto his clothes. Kirito, though surprised by her clinging to him as opposed to another girl given recent events, chose not to say anything, instead allowing her to glean comfort however she could. It isn't like it could cause any harm to anyone.

                "So what is your name anyway?" he asked her kindly, wanting to do what he could to distract her from what had been just barely averted, and she looked up at him for a moment before mumbling a reply. "Silica, huh? That's a cute name, for a cute girl like yourself."

The now identified Silica blushed brightly at the compliment from her savior, and ducked her head, while her small pet dragon (awake once more, and curled around her shoulders), Pina, rubbed her small head against her human's cheek.

                "I would have thought a young girl like yourself would be staying down on the first floor with the rest of the young players." Argo commented off-hand, and Silica's cheeks puffed out as she turned her head and glared at the older girl, surprising everyone as she replied hotly.

                "I'm thirteen, I'm not a little kid! Besides, how many beast tamers can tame a dragon! I bet _you_ couldn't! They call me Dragon Tamer Silica!"

                "Never heard of you." Sinon said bluntly, and Silica's jaw dropped in disbelief. Everyone had heard of her! She was the only Dragon Tamer in SAO!

                "Hold on, I think I have, through my contacts. She's supposedly the only person to ever tame a dragon, but she isn't anywhere close to being a front-liner. Probably why you never heard of her, Sinon." Argo said after a moment's thought, and Sinon nodded as if this made perfect sense, which it did. Unlike her whiskered friend, she cared for little beyond her guildmates, clearing the game, and not dying. In that order of importance. Anything else was extra. It wasn't that she was cold or uncaring about the other players, she simply had her priorities. Most people did, these days. Only a limited few like Kirito and Asuna went out of their way for the random stranger on the street anymore.

                "Sinon? I know that name..." Silica mumbled to herself as she tried to remember the hazy details from the few news articles she had bothered to read. Then it struck her, and her eyes widened as she looked around at the group escorting her. Her eyes fell for the first time on the symbol that each bore on their jackets. She knew that symbol well, and everything fell into place as she gazed with child-like awe at the young man she was clinging to so tightly.

                "Kuro no Kenshi-sama?" she said in a shocked whisper, and the two older girls snickered as Kirito grimaced slightly with a faint blush, and Argo's mouth twisted into a wicked smirk as she teased him.

                "That's the second time today someone has called you that, _Kenshi-sama_." she purred outrageously. "Should I feel jealous and call you _Kenshi-sama_ too? Or maybe," her smirk got decidedly lecherous before she continued. "Maybe _Shujin-sama_ would sound better. Can I call you that, Kirito?"

Kirito and Silica were now a truly spectacular shade of scarlet, and Sinon herself was blushing rather heavily, and Argo cackled happily in amusement, her teasing accomplishing three things. First, she had gotten the poor kid's mind off of the night's events. Second, she had distracted the girl from fan-girling on Kirito, something he was no doubt eternally grateful for. Finally, and most important in her mind, she had planted a seed in Kirito's mind, a seed that hinted to her affections for him. She just hoped he figured it out sooner rather than later.

                "Anyway, I think we're at your inn now, Silica." Kirito coughed awkwardly, opening the inn's door and holding it as the three girls filed inside carefully. The black-haired swordsmen glanced around the street for a moment, before stepping inside and letting the door shut, fingers flicking across his UI keyboard as he sent a message to his guildmates, telling them the inn's location so that they could all meet up. "We'll stay here tonight, just in case he has friends, although it's not very likely."

########################

_After Silica is Rescued_

                "Where is the Magistrate on this floor, anyway? Anyone know?" Asuna asked, fingers drumming on the hilt of her rapier with a faint scowl gracing her features. She wished that they could just dump this bastard already so that she could get back to her Kirito. She blushed faintly, chastising herself slightly for being so possessive over someone she wasn't even dating. The blush deepened at the thought of dating the boy she had a massive crush on before she glanced at Ailyn and resisted the urge to scowl again. She respected and liked Ailyn a lot as a person, but as competition for Kirito's heart, she and Argo had the advantage of having beta tested with him. That meant months of being friends, of getting close to one another, _before_ Asuna had even met him.

                "Not far from here, just another couple of blocks, I think." Agil hummed in thought, eyes slightly squinted to see further. Despite the well-lit nature of the streets, they were still rather dark and it was difficult to see too far down the streets, making getting lost easy, which was on reason players rarely strayed from their lodgings at night. The other being the criminal elements of the gaming community.

                "Good, I want to ditch this sorry bastard and get back to Kirito." Ailyn grumbled, taking the words out of Asuna's mouth as the red-head turned her head slightly to give an almost challenging glare to Asuna, who glared back. Agil felt the urge to sweat wash over him as he felt the tension sky-rocket behind him, and immediately decided that he didn't want to know, and he didn't want to get involved even if he did know. There was nothing scarier and stupider than being between two arguing women.

Ah, the wisdom of a married man.

                "Here we are!" he said suddenly, as the trio (criminal scum in tow) turned a corner and beheld before them the City Hall for this floor. The largest building to be found, directly across from the town green, it was beautifully sculpted and designed, managing to simultaneously display a warm welcome and a menacing reminder. Here could be found Bounty Boards, the Player Prisons, the Guard Barracks, and the Magistrates.

Crossing the green, the three friends climbed the long staircase, and entered the building. Walking through the silent, echoing halls (empty save for NPCs due to the lateness of the hour) until they arrived at the Barracks of the City Guard, which contained the Bounty Board and the Prison.

                "Asuna, Ailyn, and Agil of the _Shattered Chains_ bringing serial rapist Mihigu in." Asuna announced, marching up to the guardsman at the desk, who lifted his head from his paperwork and glanced at her, before standing and leaning forward to peer down at the bound rapist.

                "I see. Hold on a moment. Hasufal, Erodd, get in here and take this trash to the pens!" he barked, and two more guards hustled in and grabbed said rapist. "He's a rapist pedophile, make sure you book him and cage him accordingly."

                "Sure thing, Sarge. We'll make sure to do just that." Hasufal said with a dark look at the subject matter. Usually he would be put in solitary, but they were conveniently being cleaned just now, so he would have to go to general population. He probably wouldn't live to see his trial. **(A/N: True fact, most pedophiles have to be put in isolation for their own protection. They have an unfortunate tendency to end up dead due to mysterious circumstances otherwise.)**

                "Here is the bounty. Sign here, here, and here, please." 'Sarge' requested, placing a large sack of gold on the counter, along with several sheets of paper before placing a pen on top of them. Asuna stepped forward and read through the papers quickly before signing the indicated places and handing them back to the officer. Taking them and skimming them quickly, he looked back up and nodded. "Everything is in order miss. Please take your bounty, have yourself a nice night, and bring us anyone else you catch. God knows having scum like this off the streets is good for everybody."

                "I will, thank you. Take care, Guardsman." Asuna bowed slightly, picked up the sack (which automatically entered her inventory and de-pixilated), and turned to leave the room, Agil and Ailyn at her back.

                "Those kids have really been cleaning house, hey Sarge?" Erodd commented, coming back into the room with a thick folder full of papers. "I was just checking the records 'cause the name sounded familiar, and that group is responsible for dozens of criminals being captured or eliminated."

                "It's good to see some citizen doing the right thing." the officer replied, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet up on the desk. "When does the next shift arrive, anyway?"

                "Three hours, sir."

                "Wake me in two."

                "Very good, sir."

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_Later That Night, 11th Floor Inn_

                "Well, they really wanted him off the streets. With this amount of gold, we could fully equip at least two players with top-end gear. Or, we could add it to our already considerable cache for a Headquarters." Ailyn mused, looking at the large sack Asuna had "dropped" on the table before them, while resolutely ignoring the small brunette that seemed to be grafted to her love-interest. It wasn't like a girl a few years younger than him could be much of a threat to her quest to get Kirito. No, it was Argo, Sinon, and Asuna she had to look out for. Especially Argo. Who knew what that vixen would attempt if she was given half a chance.

                "Agreed, and we need to expand our numbers, too. Problem is finding trustworthy and capable members. Everyone on the front are with us, Klein, the _Divine Dragon Alliance_ , or that new guild, _Knights of Blood_." Asuna commented, getting a round of agreements from the majority of the group, though Kirito remained silent and contemplative, and the guild waited patiently for their leader to speak.

                "New members would be useful, but how do we decide who to let join? We are all either friends, or fought together on the first floor and every floor since. How do we choose who else to allow?" he said finally, and looks were exchanged around the room as they all thought about it, before Silica piped up cheerfully.

                "I'll join, Kirito-sama!" she said, and several of the girls scowled unconciously. Small chance or not, she was still more competition for Kirito, that much was obvious. Still, they needed the members, she adored Kirito (and was therefore trustworthy), and she was the only Dragon Tamer in the game. Who knew how powerful she, and especially her Pet, Pina, would be if they power leveled her?

                "I'll join too." Came another, surprising, voice from the door, which had been opened silently during the discussion. There stood Sachi, looking nervous but determined, and the members of _Shattered Chains_ looked on in shock for a moment.

                "W-what? Don't you have your own guild already?" Ailyn spluttered, very much not wanting this girl to join. It wasn't that she disliked Sachi, far from it, but she was the same age as the rest of them, and rather beautiful too. She was a legitimate threat to her plans for Kirito.

                " _Black Cats of the Full Moon_ has been disbanded. The others went down below to help keep the peace amongst the Campers by joining the Army." Sachi explained, referring to those players that lived on the 'liberated' floors, and didn't fight. The Aincrad Liberation Force, more commonly called "The Army", was a former clearing guild. However, after its leader, Kibaou, had gotten half of the original members massacred in a foolish attempt to clear the 25th Floor Boss with a mere 40 men, they had retreated to the cleared floors and taken up security and humanitarian duties. Under the kind and gentle leadership of the new leader, Thinker, the guild had swelled to number more than three thousand souls, all told. "Keita didn't think that we could handle continuing to try to reach clearing level as a group, not since Ducker died. I wanted to keep fighting, so know I am wanting to join you."

She looked directly at Kirito when she said this, but looked away with a blush after meeting his eyes, starting a new round of internal cursing by those already "in the running", in a manner of speaking.

                "...Alright Silica, Sachi, if you want to join, I won't turn you away." Kirito said finally, and Silica cheered while Sachi visibly brightened, but then Kirito gave a dark smirk as his eyes gained a wicked gleam. "But first...you must be...PREPARED! Training begins in the morning...sleep well..."

Chuckling darkly, the black clad swordsman rose to his feet and seemed to glide over to the innkeep. Paying for a room, he then proceeded to ascend the stairs in a disturbingly fluid fashion, still laughing that disturbing laugh, which only ended at the sound of a door being shut.

                "...Well, as disturbing as that laugh is, I am going to get some sleep. If I have to help whip two rookies into shape for the front lines, I want to be well-rested." Ailyn sighed, copying Kirito. One by one, the rest of the guild, as well as the two fresh recruits, went to bed and dreamed of the day when they would be free from this accursed game.

########################


	6. Hope From Darkness

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Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains

Chapter 6

Hope From Darkness.

##############################################

"Thank you all for joining us." Kirito said from the front of the room, in which sat the fourteen gathered members of Fuurinkazen and Shattered Chains. Six months had passed since the rescue and disbanding of the Black Cats of the Full Moon, and the recruits had come along magnificently. Silica and her pet dragon, Pina, had become a force to be reckoned with, the small blue dragon being the only creature that a player could possess that could heal players and their allies. Silica herself opted to wield a long dagger, almost a short sword, and had adopted Argo's style of combat. The pair of them now flitted about a battlefield with monster-baffling speed, laying bleeds and poison DOTs on as many foes as they could. Sachi, under Ailyn's instruction, was turning into a respectable tank, thought she preferred to wield a mace or hammer instead of a spear.

"No problem, Kirito, but what's up? Your message didn't say." Klein chuckled from where he lounged against a wall, and Kirito gestured to Argo, who stood and joined him at the front.

"Kirito asked me to brief you all on our next mission." the playful female spy said, sounding deadly serious for once, which immediately caught the attention of everyone in the room. if Argo wasn't being playful, than the subject matter was of the utmost importance. "I received Intel that the Christmas Event Boss, Nicholas the Renegade, will drop an item capable of reviving dead players to life."

The room went silent instantly, No one moved, no one even breathed, as they attempted to wrap their heads around the idea that such an item existed, or rather, would exist in the game. Something that every player had long since given up on.

"We must secure this item. If the likes of the Divine Dragon Alliance get their hands on it, they will either horde it or sell it to the highest bidder." Kirito said firmly, hands folded behind his back as he paced back and forth. "Quite frankly, I do not trust anyone other than one of us with this item, and I know that we would use it for the right reasons."

"If Argo is right," Klein stared, and Argo gasped in disbelief as she placed a hand over her heart and pouted. "Which, of course, I am sure she is, then I agree. I cannot think of anyone else in SAO I would trust with such an item besides yourself, Kirito. Fuurinkazen will help you defeat this event boss."

His declaration was met with a chorus of firmly worded and loudly professed agreement and emphatic nodding from his subordinates, and Kirito gave a small bow of thanks before looking to his own guild members. Asuna simply huffed at him before speaking for all of them.

"Kirito, obviously we're going to support you in this. This is a good cause, you're our leader, and you're special to m...us." she told him, blushing prettily and looking to the side towards the end. The other girls glowered at her almost-slop a little but nodded in agreement. Totally missing Asuna's almost confession (again), Kirito grinned around the room before growing serious and nodding to Argo again.

"We have reason to believe that Nicholas the Renegade is going to be hard to beat, very hard, for the minor fact that he didn't appear at all in the beta. Not even at the lower floors and levels as a teaser. Furthermore, Kayaba wouldn't have such a powerful item guarded by a weak enemy." the Rat warned them all, looking each of them in the eye. "It very well could be more dangerous than the last floor boss we engaged, and the boss for this floor."

The group nodded in understanding as Kirito came to the fore again.

"Obviously, we are going to power-level nonstop for the next few weeks. I want us to be able to crush this boss rapidly so that no one else can find it and get a last hit in, thus claiming the item from us." he said strongly, tone brooking no argument. "From now on, I want group leveling, hardest difficulty you manage. By the time the event drops, each and every one of you needs to be level sixty five, at least. Seventy is preferable."

"Oy, that's pretty hardcore, Kirito." a member of Klein's guild grumbled good naturedly. "Will we be having time to sleep?"

"Sleep? We are gamers, there is no such thing as sleep." the Black Swordsman responded in wry amusement, getting a chorus of laughing agreement from his fellow players. Sharing it with them for a moment, he shook his head and continued. "Regardless, we start tomorrow, at ten o' clock. Be there, or..." he gained a predatory smirk. "You will get to be my sparring partner for the next month."

Exaggerated shuddering followed his declaration, and laughter followed as the group relaxed and spread out, calling over the innkeep or one of his fellow NPCs, ordering food and drink as they played the night away.

#################################

Another monster disappeared with a screech and the sound of shattering glass as it dissolved into pixels. Klein sheathed his katana like the ancient samurai his armor and weapons of choice imitated, looking appropriately solemn and calm, before ruining the effect by smirking broadly and fist pumping as a bright golden flash surrounded him.

"Ding! Level 64, oh yeah!" he cheered happily, feeling reinvigorated as the level-up restored his health and energy to full. Light applause filled the grassy clearing that the two allied guilds were leveling in, coming from those who were taking a break from training to eat or rest against a tree trunk.

The members of Fuurinkazen and Shattered Chains had been hard at work since earlier that morning, camping the forest-side clearing spawn-point of some of the strongest monsters that the floor possessed outside of the dungeon. Admittedly, the monsters were easy picking for the large group of front liners, but the Guild Perks built into the system offset any experience loss they might have suffered for having so many players present.

"Good, excellent. Well done, Klein." Kirito praised him genuinely with a smile, arms crossed over his chest from where he was leaning against a tree, Ailyn and Asuna sitting beside him. Argo and Silica were a few yards away, cutting a single large ogre-type mob to pieces, while Sinon was keeping an eye out for other players who might try to steal their kills. Sachi and Agil were a few yards past them, smashing a trio of enemies into the ground. Well, actually, it was Agil doing the smashing while Sachi Taunted to keep their focus on her. Raising his voice, Kirito addressed the entire clearing. "Finish off your current opponents and come here, everyone."

It took a few minutes to mop up the last of their enemies, but soon enough both guilds had gathered around the tree Kirito was leaning on.

"We've all made excellent progress today. You've done well enough, in fact, that I am going to offer you a choice: finishing things up early today and relax, but spend more time tomorrow. Or, we can start doing some map-work of the dungeon and make some more progress but have tomorrow off entirely."

He gave them some time to think about it and discuss the pros and cons of each amongst themselves before clearing his throat and asking for a show of hands. It was overwhelmingly decided that they would do some mapping today and take the following day off. After all, as Agil pointed out gruffly, they were already out here and on a roll, so why not?

Proud of his companions and their dedication, although utterly unsurprised that they wanted the next day off, Kirito began to head towards the distant dungeon entrance, the others trailing along. Unbeknownst to him, but suspected by one another, each of the girls interested in him was attempting to plot a way to spend the next day alone with Kirito. The imaginations of each ran along the same track, though carrying in...intensity. From Sachi and Silica blushing at the thought of simply holding his hand, to Argo's idle consideration of renting a inn room, all of them desired to have their leader's uninterrupted attention.

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Suguha sat once more at Kazuto's bedside, quietly doing her homework with one hand while the other rested on his own. Despite the warmth of the room, he felt so cold to her. So lacking in life. She knew that in reality his hand was barely cooler than her own, and it was all in her head, but she was used to seeing him as his laid-back but still energetic self. Seeing him so still, so expressionless, still haunted her after all of these months.

Her mind wandered to the latest press release from the SAO Case Victims Rescue Unit (SAOCVRU) on their latest assault on the Sword Art Online server banks, attempting to punch through whatever Kayaba Akihiko had done to prevent players from logging out. While they ultimately failed to do so once more(Kayaba was not referred to as a programming prodigy for nothing), they did manage to find a way to place "vid-worms" into the system, allowing them to directly monitor players from a third person view via the Cardinal System. Since that announcement, the entire world had been clamoring for access, either for the media, or to watch over friends and family. Thus far, everyone but the more powerful world leaders had been allowed to do so.

A soft knock on the door drew her attention from her work and her musings, and she turned to see Ayame, her nurse friend, standing there with an excited look on her face.

"Ayame? What is it?" she asked, wondering what was going on. The doctors and nurses tended to leave her undisturbed while she was visiting Kazuto, something she appreciated immensely, but it made this interruption very odd.

"Sugu-chan, a man from the SAO Victims Unit is here, he says he needs to talk to you immediately." Ayame told her with excitement filling her voice, and Suguha frowned in curiosity and a fair amount of annoyance as she put her notebook down on the bed and reluctantly stood, her hand slipping off of Kazuto's own.

Following the nurse from the room, Suguha's frown deepened as she found herself looking at Kikuoka Seijirou, leader of the Victims Rescue Unit, and Yuuki Shouzou, the CEO of RECT Inc., the company that had taken over the SAO servers and their maintenance after Argus had been disbanded.

"What can I do for you, gentlemen?" she asked as politely as she good, though she still sounded distinctly unhappy, as she gave a short bow.

"We're sorry to pull you away from young Kazuto's bedside, Miss Suguha, but we needed to speak with you on a matter of significant importance." Kikuoka said kindly, smiling and bowing in return. "Might we adjourn to young Kazuto's room?"

Hesitating for a moment, but deciding there was truly no harm in doing so, Suguha turned on her heel and lead the two men back down the hall and into her cousin's room, where she immediately reclaimed her seat beside his bed and put her hand back on his. her two guests took the other two chairs on the opposite side of the bed, and she looked at them expectantly.

"Miss Kirigaya, I can only assume that you know who we are, as I am sure you have paid great attention to anything related to his...incident." Kikouka started, and Sugu nodded, eyes darkening slightly with fresh anger and pain, and the man smiled a little sympathetically as he continued. "However, I don't know if how much you know about the goings-on of that world?"

"All I know is Kazuto is stuck in there, and I want him back. And that I would happily wield real steel if ever I met Kayaba Akihiko." Suguha spat the name out hatefully, as if the man were the Devil himself. Which, in her mind, he may as well have been.

"Indeed, many share that opinion of the man." Kikouka replied dryly, adjusting his glasses slightly before continuing. "What you do not know, then, is how truly influential your cousin has become in that world."

"What do you mean, 'influential?'" Suguha asked, frowning lightly at the man's choice of words.

"Simply put, Kazuto has become a very powerful person inside the world of SAO. The guild he commands, _Shattered Chains_ , is regarded as one of the most powerful, rivalling guilds with member coutns in the hundreds despite it's relativly small size. His influence, as I said, is significant as well. He is the _de facto_ commander of the Clearing Force, those players that have banded together to clear the game, and is also gaining quite the reputation for hunting down and dealing with player criminals in the game."

Suguha sat back, eyes wide at the information. A charismatic war leader? _Kazuto?!_ Sure, she knew that her cousin made was a kind and friendly person (when he was actually social) who you couldn't help but like and trust, but still! She couldn't picture him the way the man was describing her.

"Miss Kirigaya, I wanted to meet you personally after learning you were the cousin of Mr. Kirigaya." Yuuki said, softly, leaning forward earnestly as he folded his hands under his chin and gazed at the face of her cousin. "Kirito-as he is known in that world- has saved the lives of many people, my own daughter amongst them, many times. I wished to meet the family of such an amazing boy, and invite you and your family to stay with my own at our estate."

"But, I couldn't possibly..." Suguha stammered, reeling from the events of the past few minutes. "School...home...Kazuto!"

"I will arrange for you to be able to visit him as often as you like, naturally, and for your parents to be taken to and from their places of work." the father said earnestly, almost pleadingly. "It is the least I can do to repay your family for what a member of it has done for my own."

"In addition, Miss Kirigaya, we will arrange for the vid-worms dedicated to _Shattered Chains_ (of which there are several, due to the guild's significance in that world) to relay the live footage they will be gathering to a series of TVs in a special room on Mr. Yuuki's behest." Kikouka added with a smirk, knowing the moment the words left his mouth that she would agree.

"And in return?" Suguha said shrewdly, showing just how much she was like her cousin, and Kikouka chuckled lightly, raising his hands in surrender.

"As much as I would like to say "nothing", I would simply like to request that you keep your mind open to any future requests I might make." he said casually, and Suguha nibbled on her bottom lip as her mind raced. In truth, her choice was already made, but she didn't want to jump in without thinking. Still, she supposed, did it really matter what he asked for if it meant she got to watch over her beloved cousin?

"You have a deal, sir." she said firmly, and Kikouka smiled and clapped his hands once in appreciation, getting to his feet.

"Excellent! Now then, I must be off, but I leave you and Mr. Yuuki in one another's care." he said with a bow, before excusing himself and departing. The two conscious inhabitants of the room looked at each other somewhat awkwardly, neither knowing what to say.

"So, is Kazuto alright, in that world?" she asked finally, desperate for any news of him. The man smiled broadly and nodded before elaborating.

"As Kikouka said, he is a very powerful figure in that world, and very respected. He is widely acknowledged as the most dangerous swordsman in the game, such that every player knows of the _Kuro no Kenshi_. The Black Swordsman (Here Suguha resisted the urge to snort at the dramatic nickname her laid-back cousin had been given). Every member of his guild is equally deadly, and while I loathe the idea of my daughter being in danger, your cousin has helped her come into her own as a woman." The CEO explained, looking simultaneously pleased and concerned. "He and his guild are especially well known for hunting down criminals, sometimes even brutally. He has stopped thieves, muggers, and rapists from further victimizing the innocents in that world, players who remain in safety on the cleared floors and don't fight on the front lines."

"Rapists? How can you commit rape in a video game?" Suguha asked, frowning heavily at the idea. One reason she had stayed in kendo when her brother had given up was to ensure that she would never be at the mercy of a man with more libido than morals.

"Kayaba Akihiko disabled many of the safety codes in the game. While an Ethics Law is still in place, it can be ignored and broken, just like the real world. Those with the depravity to commit such acts figured out how, and so now it is not just the game that players are in dager from, but each other. Fortunatly, there have been no player-instigated murders yet, as far as the Victims Unit can determine." Yuuki answered, getting to his feet. "I would greatly enjoy answering any more questions you and your family might have at my home. The hospital's visiting hours will be over very soon, and it would probably be best if your parents had a chance to hear the same information as you."

"Ah, of course, you're right. I am simply desperate for any information I can get about him." Suguha aploigized sheepishly, bowing, and the man returned her bow with a kind smile and told her not to worry. He did, after all, completely understand.

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The next few hours were a blur of activity. Suguha's parent's were nearly paralyzed with shock when a black stretch limo pulled up outside their modest home and their teenaged daughter hopped out, followed by a middle-aged man in a black suit. Despite their trust in their daughter, the couple began to panic internally. Had their daughter gotten pregnant? Had she been seduced by this older, wealthy man? Or had she commited some grave offense? She had become rebellious and tempermental ever since Kazuto had been trapped in that damn game, had she finally lost control?

These wild, but not outlandish, assumptions were fortunatly proven to be drastically off of the mark. Their daughter, nearly bouncing from excitement, had explained that this young man was the father of one of their nephews "guildmates", his friends and allies from SAO. That he admired and appreciated what Kazuto had done for his daughter in that world so much that he wanted Kazuto's family to stay with him for as long as they desired.

The elder Kirigaya had been hesitant, at first, unsure of such a generous offer coming out of nowhere, but the fact that the proposal had been vetted by the head of the SAOVRU had gone a long way to making them feel more comfortable. What had finally tipped the scale though was the desperation and hope in their daughter's eyes as she told them about the offer to watch over Kazuto through the viruses that the Rescue Unit had managed to get into the servers. While they themselves didn't know if they would watch (having long since given up on speaking with their nephew again), neither of them felt they could deny her the chance to observe. Besides, they had the distinct impression that she might go ahead and leave with Mr. Yuuki regardless.

Finally, they agreed to do so, and their radiant daughter hugged them both feircly before rushing to pack clothes and other nescessities, leaving them alone with the man.

"I truly appreciate this. It is an honor to meet the family of such a remarkable boy." He said earnestly, and the couple smiled a little awkwardly at him, not sure how to react to such an eager attitude in regards to Kazuto.

Don't get them wrong, they loved their nephew dearly and missed him terribly, but he had never inspired such heartfelt emotions from anyone other than their daughters girl friends, many of whom Suguha had complained about being infatuated with her "cool, laid back ice prince of a cousin". While he did well in school, was respectful, and stayed out of trouble, he didn't exactly set himself apart from the masses either. At least, he hadn't.

"We are honored by your kidness and regard for our nephew." Mr. Kirigaya said, bowing slightly, not knowing what else to say and settling for a simple and polite, if entirely accurate, response.

"So, what do the pair of you do?" the magnate tried again after several minutes of awkward silence. While he already knew, having had his associates find out every scrap of information about the family before approaching them, he still wished to make polite and friendly conversation, in order to put the couple more at ease.

"Ah, well, I myself am a game designer for Square Enix." Mrs. Kirigaya responded, smiling as she spoke about the job she loved so much. "Unfortunatly, I have to work very long hours, arriving home when the kids are asleep and leaving before they wake up. But, when I have time, I try to play chess with Suguha or games with Kazuto. He has actually helped me several times on my own projects in the past."

"And I teacher at Tokyo University, where I teach Law." Mr. Kirigya responded, not nearly as enthusiatically as his wife but with a fair bit of pride, pride well deserved. Teaching something like law at Tokyo U was no mean feat for a man in his early forties.

"Ah! My daughter has no doubt enjoyed your work then, Mrs. Kirigaya, and I myself attended Tokyo U some years ago, though I majored in Computer Sciences, not Law." Yuuki said almost wistfully, recalling his own days walking those hallowed, old halls of learning. And, though he would never admit it, some of the rather wild and youthful activities that had taken place there. One such wild activity was where he had met his wife, though if one met her now one would hardly think she was the type to even smile, never mind party.

Further uncomfortable attempts at making small talk were halted as Suguha bounced back into the room, carrying her kendo bag and a bag of clothes over her shoulder. Beaming at the three adults, she announced that she was ready to go, and perhaps her parents should pack their own thing? Rapidly?

Chuckling slightly at the girl's excitement, her parents hastened to do so, leaving Suguha to entertain their guest for a few minutes.

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Not a few hours later, the family found themselves gaping in awe at the house (mansion, in all total honesty) that was to be their place of residence for the forseeable future. High stone walls topped with a spike-tipped iron-wrought fence surrounded spacious, grass lawns and well-kept gardens. The house itself was beautiful, a magnificent blend of Traditional Japanese and Modern Western architecture. The moment they exited the limo, the trio quickly found themselves divested of their bags, which they were told were being taken to rooms that had been prepared for them earlier that day. The haughty looking and sounding Yuuki Kyouko introduced herself as the husdand of Mr. Yuuki, and the teenaged boy in her shadow as Asuna's brother, Kouichirou. The father then insisted that the adult adress him by his given name, Shouzou, before tasking Kouichirou in showing them around the house, leaving him alone with his wife.

"Why are they here, Shouzou?" she asked coldly, and he winced slightly at the harsheness in her voice. She loved their daughter, that much he knew beyond the shadow of any doubt, but she had always resented her interest in her father's company and products over more "ladylike" things, such as sewing and house work. Just about the only thing the two had agreed on was cooking, something that both enjoyed immensly. Shouzou, by comparison, felt like his wife had pressured Asuna to hard to get superior schooling, a lucrative carreer, and a important husband. Now, he knew, she was haunted by the idea that her pressuring of their daughter was what had driven her into SAO, where she was now trapped and fighting for her life.

"I told you, they are the family of Kirito. I felt that it was only right that…" he tried to explain once again, striving to make her understand, but she cut him off coldly.

"That boy constantly puts our daughter in danger, and you're treating him as some sort of hero!" she hissed angrily, eyes flashing with rage. "You corrupted her with your stupid computers and virtual games! Now she might die in that God-forsaken game, and never become what she was destined to be!"

"That boy has saved our daughter a dozen times or more! That boy has stopped at least one rapist we know of! Would you prefer our daughter was alone in that world, easy prey to monsters like that, or would you rather she was with someone who is arguably the most dangerous person in that game!" he snarled back just as angrily. He understood her fears for Asuna's safety, even shared them, but if his daughter was going to fight, he was glad it was beside the person most likely to keep her alive.

"Of course not! I just…!" she grimaced, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip, shaking her head violently as she tried to banish whatever nightmarish imagies her mind was conjuring within its depths. Eyes softening, he wrapped his arms around his scared, grieving wife and held her close, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"It will be alright, my love. We've already managed to get some worms into the system. Our foot is in the door. All we have to do now is start to pry the door open." He told her soothingly, but with iron-clad determination filling his voice. "Our daughter will return to us. I will make sure of it!"

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	7. Merry Christmas To All!

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Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains

Chapter 7

Merry Christmas To All!

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Suguha had to restrain herself from bouncing eagerly on the seat of the window bench she was lounging on, nose pressed to the glass as she hawkishly watched the estate's main gate through the falling snow. After nearly a week of waiting, it was finally Christmas Day, the day that the SAOVRU would be delivering and setting up the massive screen that she knew she would be spending every waking moment (and more than a few sleeping moments) in front of as she eagerly and desperately watched every move her Kazuto made.

After moving onto the estate, her family had been welcomed with fairly warm and open arms, the lady of the household being the only one who seemed less than pleased with their presence. Mrs. Yuuki had remained cold and distant the entire time, remaining silent as often as possible, and saying as little as possible when she had no choice but to speak. Suguha and her parents had been caught off-guard and rather offended by her rudeness, until Kuichirou had explained that his mother was not handling his sister's disappearance well at all. He had, in fact, once confided to Suguha the extraordinary guilt he felt at the knowledge that his sister was trapped in the game because of whim. When the confused teen had inquired further, he had reluctantly explained that he had acquired a copy of the game and intended to play, but had been called away for his duties to RECT Inc. When his young sister had asked if she could try it out, he had readily agreed. Since then, his sister had been in what might as well have been a coma.

Suguha had called him an idiot for blaming himself and reminded him that, had he said no, it would be him trapped in the game instead. The he had to have faith in his sister and her friends, and to focus on helping his family manage in such a difficult situation.

A movement drew her mind back from wandering, and she yipped happily at the sight of the large, utterly nondescript truck with tinted windows pulling through the gate, followed by two equally unimportant looking cars. While some might have thought that it could be a furniture order or something of the sort, Suguha had watched enough spy flicks to know that the more innocuous something appears, the more likely it is something to be suspicious about. Besides, she had the feeling that if this family had ordered furniture, the truck would be proudly displaying it's loyalty to some insanely exclusive and expensive business.

Popping to her feet, she grabbed her jacket from where it lay draped over the armrest and scampered from the room, hastily pulling it on as she ran through the house, dodging maids going about their daily chores with apologies over her shoulder. The maids watched her go in amused affection for a moment before returning to work. The family's guests, especially the daughter, had quickly rubbed of on the household staff with their infinite politeness and utter lack of any sense of entitlement, which was rare for guests of the family. Most were like that brat that the lady of the house wanted to push Miss Asuna (the staff's favorite) towards, Sugou. He was always insulting and fairly lewd to the prettier maids, when there was no one else to see him do so. To Miss Asuna, he was condescending and dismissive, though it was veiled by a thin veneer of false chivalry. It was clear to many that he had no care or affection for Asuna, but did desire what would come with her: control of RECT Inc. when her father retired. As such, the maids took it upon themselves to be as disruptive to his attempts at wooing her as possible.

A few minutes later (the house was rather large, after all, and she had to ask for directions once or twice) Suguha skidded to a halt and bowed to Mr. Yuuki, a brilliant smile on her face, as the man looked towards her from where he had been talking quietly with the utterly average looking man wearing overalls and a cap that was pulled low to hide his eyes.

"Suguha-chan, why don't you show Satou-san and his associates to the room we set aside for the equipment." The man suggested, and Suguha nodded with a smile, though she nearly giggled at the man's name. Satou was the Japanese equivalent of the Western last name "Smith", stereotypically an alias for a spy because of how common it was.

"Hai! Follow me, please!" the high-schooler said cheerfully, turning and heading back through the foyer, starting the one route in this house she had memorized rapidly. That path which lead from the main body of the house to the room that had been set aside for viewing their loved one's struggles and triumphs. Trailing along behind her came nearly a score men who were just as bland in appearance as the one who was speaking with Mr. Yuuki earlier, carrying large cardboard boxes. Three sets of two mean each carefully maneuvered boxes that proclaimed their contents to be 60" TVs, while the other boxes seemed to be carrying various other electronic devices that she doubted she would understand, though she had no doubt Kazuto would have, were he here.

Opening the door to the room, she gestured for them to enter and stepped well clear of the doorway, leaving them plenty of room to maneuver with. She remained safely in the corner while they bustled about, extracting the various technological gadgets from their boxes and setting them up. Each massive television was connected to a small, innocuous looking black box, which was in turn connected to a plain black desktop tower. A few minutes later, all three screens flashed to life. By this point, the entirety of both families had entered the room and were watching the screens with bated breath.

 _"All systems, online. Sword Art Online Monitoring Station, operational. Identify Primary Controller."_ A soft and cultured female voice echoed from all three TVs, and one of the men offered Mr. Yuuki a small booklet. He regarded it for a moment before shaking his head and gesturing to Suguha. Tentatively taking the booklet when it was offered to her in turn, Suguha cleared her throat.

"Identify Primary Controller: Suguha Kirigaya." She said clearly, if nervously, and a soft tone sounded and all three screens flashed again.

 _"Primary Controller Identified: Suguha Kirigaya."_ The woman's voice confirmed, reading the words that were now shown on the screen, before it changed again. _"Identify Authorized Users."_

"Identify Authorized Users: Yuuki Shouzou, Yuuki Kyouko, Yuuki Kouichirou, Kirigaya Midori, Kirigaya Minetaka. Confirm Command." Suguha listed the names, the screens showing each one after it was said.

 _"Command Confirmed. Identify Targets of Primary Observation."_ The computer asked again, and Suguha brightened. Leafing to another page in the booklet, she gave her next command.

"Identify Targets of Primary Observation: Kirigaya Kazuto, screen name Kirito. Yuuki Asuna, screen name Asuna. Identify Third target as members of guild Shattered Chains, random rotation unless overridden by voice command." She said clearly, feeling very much like she was in some sort of American science fiction movie.

 _"Observation Targets, confirmed. Identify SAOMS Integrated AI?"_ the voice asked, and Suguha frowned as she leafed through the booklet, trying to understand what it wanted. Finally figuring out that it was asking for a name to be addressed as, she thought for a ling moment.

"Identify SAOMS Integrated AI as Overwatch. Confirm Command."

 _"Command Confirmed. This unit is now identified as Overwatch. What can I do for you, Kirigaya Suguha-sama?"_ the now-named Overwatch asked pleasantly, and she smiled eagerly.

"Overwatch, please bring up Kirito on the center screen, Asuna on the left, and the guild rotation on the right."

 _"Understood. Connecting to audio-visual worms. Downloading…download complete. Imagery online."_ Overwatch said, sounding almost cheerful as the images of all three TVs changed to reveal what was essential the same image, from different angles.

Kirito, Asuna, and a large group of people were gathered together in an inn, eating and drinking as they cheerfully chatted. Kirito himself was, to Suguha's displeasure, surrounded by a fair number of beautiful women and a single red-haired man, all of whom were paying him all of their attention as he spoke.

"…should be a relatively simple fight. We are not only over-leveled, but there are quite a few of us. We should dispatch him fairly quickly and withdraw before any…undesirable elements show up. Ailyn, you and Sachi will trade off aggro the entire fight. Since this is an event boss, I don't think that there will be any adds. So, whomever does not have aggro is to get out of range and heal up, then Charge back in. Argo, take Silica and the rest of the speed-types under your command. Hit and runs, he will probably have a dangerous cleave that will take chunks out of you, so don't get hit by it. Klein, you and the rest of the heavy hitters will stay in with me. If he shows himself to have an interruptible ability, call out if you're going to take it. We don't want to waste cool-downs."

"Alright, Kiri-bou, but what do we do is the Divine Dragon Alliance shows up before we down the boss? Because you know as well as I that they're damn well going to try." The small green lettering over the whiskered girl indicated she was Argo, a rogue-class player. Suguha found herself frowning as she sat down in an armchair, barely noticing that everyone else was filing out of the room as she absorbed every detail that she could.

"Then I solo the boss while you lot hold them off." Kirito said, and there was an instant uproar.

"Kirito, that's insane! You're letting your own legend get to your head, and _Kuro no Kenshi_ or not, trying to solo a boss is suicide!" Asuna snapped angrily, and the others chorused their own agreement.

"Perhaps, but I think it is possible if necessary. I would prefer to avoid that, however. Does everyone understand?" he said definitively, and though displeased, the others acquiesced, agreeing with nods and grunts. Nodding, Kirito leaned back in his seat. "Alright, have some fun, everyone. We're heading out in an hour."

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An hour later, Kirito finished his drink and got to his feet, the girls rising around him. Moments later, the others noticed that they were moving out and rose as well, finishing off their drinks and food before tossing a few silvers on the table, into the invisible zone designated on their HUDs for payment of fare.

Nodding to the inn-keep, they filed out one by one, stepping into the cold Christmas air. Lights and decorations were all over the city, every building decorated to some degree, and the massive pine in the town center shone like a beacon in the night. Kirito took a moment to take a deep breath, enjoying the cool and the sensation of snow melting in his hair, before gesturing for his companions to follow as he headed towards the city gate.

In the shadows behind them, they never saw a small, lithe figure dressed in light leather armor bearing the symbol of the Divine Dragon Alliance wait for them to depart before sending a PM and following silently.

##################

Suguha watched, on the edge of her seat, as Kazuto and his companions cut a wide swath through the random monsters ("mobs", as they called them) that aimlessly wandered the path that the players were taking to reach this "Nicholas the Renegade" they were planning on killing. Her eyes never strayed from her cousin, who was displaying incredible skill with a blade, skill that had barely been shown when he had been taking kendo. He had developed an entire style for himself, one relying on a combination of speed, incredible reflexes, and punishing strikes.

She was beginning to see what Mr. Yuuki meant about Kazuto, and why he was so feared. While she knew that he was doing things that he could never do in the real world, she was still deeply impressed. Her infatuation with him helped her awe along, of course, not that she would admit it if anyone brought it up.

The snow was falling heavier now, large wet flakes that had forced the group to pull up hoods lest the melted flakes go down their shirts. Their footprints lingered in the snow, edges and imprints softened by the constant snowfall. Finally, they came to a large clearing with a single path leading further into the forest, at the end of which appeared to be a massive, decorated, Christmas tree.

"That's most likely where the boss will spawn." Kirito commented, point to the tree, and the group nodded and headed in that direction, before stopping as Kirito raised a closed fist, a strange expression on his face as he tilted his head slightly to the side. Hand drifting to the hilt of Elucidator, he spoke again. "We're not alone."

"Well spotted, _Kuro no Kenshi_ , if a little late. We've been tracking you for hours." A male voice said cruelly as a couple dozen men and women in heavy plate armor came out of the trees in a staggered line, all bearing the mark of the Divine Dragon Alliance.

"I expected it to take longer for you lot to show up, but perhaps I underestimated your greed and obsession with rare items. How long will it take you to realize that you have no more right to them than anyone else?" Kirito retorted, and the leader of the DDA group glared and growled angrily.

"We are one of the top guilds in the game! Who other than we deserve rare items, when we take the most risks and have lost so many of our number?" he snarled, with his comrades nodding and adding their agreements.

"Yes, you have lost a few members, but your losses are nothing compared to those the Army endured. Granted, that was through their own foolishness, but you are hardly the only ones who have lost friends." Kirito pointed out, striving for a peaceful solution. "I fully intend to utilize this item for the good of the entire clearing group, but I will not allow you to lay claim to it. History has shown that you would horde such an item for yourselves, instead of using it for the betterment of all."

His voice was firm and his stance unyielding, and the DDA drew their weapons as one. In response, the members of Fuurinkazen and Shattered Chains armed themselves, sans Kirito, and began to fall into formation.

"If you're willing to become orange to try and claim this item, then my people will oppose you." Kirito said, his tone glacial as he folded his arms over his chest and glared. "I suggest you rethink this course of action, because getting sent to the dungeons for a few months won't do your reputation or your rare item cache any good."

"We outnumber you almost two to one!" the leader scoffed, and Kirito shook his head with a sigh, glancing at his Second.

"Ailyn, take care of this. I will acquire the item and return here. Try to avoid beating them up to badly, they are an admirable force for the Clearing Force." He commanded, and Ailyn planted her fist over her heart in salute.

"Understood. We'll watch your back." Ailyn said, kissing him on the cheek impulsively. Blushing lightly, Kirito ran a hand through his hair and told the girls to be careful before turning on his heel and striding off towards the distant tree.

######################################

"You shits may be everyone's favorite fighters, but without your precious leader, you're nothing!" the DDA leader snarled, incensed at being so casually dismissed. Kirito's friends exchanged looks before chuckling lightly, further infuriating the man. "What's so funny you bastards?"

"Your arrogance, really. You honestly think that Kirito is the only member of our group that is strong? All of us are level seventy at least, do you honestly think you can take us on?" Ailyn said with a smirk, brushing scarlet hair out of her eyes. The DDA members mumbled to each other in shock and concern. The strongest of them, their leader, was level 70 but the rest of them were in the mid 60s.

"I dunno if this is such a good idea, man." One of them said to the leader nervously. "They're the top guild in the game and out level us pretty badly. Kirito promised to use the item on anyone who needed it, so let's just head back to HQ."

"I will not have a pack of kids intimidate me into backing off! Like hell you're all level 70!" the leader sneered, and looked at his followers. "Attack, or you will find yourselves item-less and kicked from the guild!"

Clearly displeased, the members of the DDA group readied themselves to attack the instant their leader did. While not to eager to take on such powerful opponents, neither were they particularly eager to be stripped of their hard-earned gear and kicked out of the guild. They would be essentially marooned in the Town of Beginnings until they could scrounge together enough starter gear to start hunting mobs, working their way back up to their current gear level. The tense face off continued until the leader suddenly charged with a yell, the others following after a moment.

"Don't hurt them to badly. Take them down!" Ailyn shouted, thrusting her spear towards the oncoming players before locking onto the leader and Charging him, shield at the fore. With a roar, her friends and allies joined her, a wedge of loyalty and friendship meeting a wall of greed and fear. Steel clashed on steel as battle was joined.

##########################

Suguha scampered back to her seat. She had just asked one of the maids to tell the rest of the house that a large battle was going on in Sword Art Online, involving their loved ones. Moments later, the adults streamed into the room. The three Yuuki's focused on the screen depicting Asuna, her rapier flashing and biting away at her opponents as she ducked and weaved through their heavy-handed assaults. The elder Kirigaya focused on their nephew, who was standing alone before an enormous Christmas tree, his black blade still sheathed on his back.

The sound of Christmas bells filled the night, echoing through the forest, as a flying sleigh drawn by reindeer flew overhead. A large red shape jumped as it passed over the tree and plummeted into the ground, kicking up a massive clouds of snow. When it finally cleared, the shape resolveditself to be a hunched over man in a long red coat. As he rose to his full height, he towered over Kirito, laughing psychotically as his uneven eyes spun insanely in their sockets. Four large green health bars materialized next to his head, above them blood red lettering spelled "Nicholas the Renegade", and a massive double-headed battle axe materialized in his hand.

"Is he going to fight that alone? Is he mad?" Mrs. Yuuki said shakily, having glanced at the appropriate screen momentarily, and Suguha nodded tightly, her face awash with fear for Kirito.

"Yes. The people his friends are fighting are trying to steal the item from that boss, which apparently will let the user bring players who die back to life. They want to sell it or keep it from everyone else, but Kirito wants to use it to save lives. So, when they attacked, he had his friends watch his back while he fights the boss alone." She said, giving the simple version of the last few hours of activity. On the screen, Kirito's hand slowly reached up to grasp the hilt of his pitch black longsword, and he drew it swiftly to rest diagonally by his side as he stared up at the boss. Taking a deep breath, he centered himself before charging.

########################

Kirito's veins were filled with fire, and his heart sang as he battled against his enemy. This, was where he belonged. On the field of battle, matching blades and reflexes with an opponent. He thrived on the thrill of battle, that intoxicating mixture of fear and courage at the knowledge that a single wrong move could spell his death. He could spare no thoughts or concerns for his friends, even as he heard the clash of steel and voice behind him as they fought to give him the time he needed. Soon enough, he heard nothing but the song of steel, his harsh breathing, and the boss' inhuman roars and guttural grunts. Avoiding a horizontal cleave from the boss by bending backwards Matrix-style, he performed a rather admirable backwards handspring. The moment his feet touched the ground again, he darted forward and laid a devastating blow to the boss, dropping its second health bar to zero. It staggered back with a scream of pain and rage, and he took the moment of peace that offered to down yet another pair of Health and Stamina Potions, feeling his energy returning. Rolling his shoulders, he carefully observed as the boss resettled into its stance, hoping that the boss didn't get much more dangerous or change its combat pattern too greatly. While he was defeating it handily, it was also a long and grueling fight.

Tossing the battle-axe aside, the boss howled as it's sleigh hurtled over the tree again, and two "small" axes plummeted from the air, sending up twin plumes of snow into the air. Grabbing them, the boss roared again before charging. Kirito cursed colorfully as he threw himself out of the way, the two axes smashed into the ground where he was standing moments before. The Renegade's movement and attack speed had at least doubled, and he was willing to bet that the boss could do a mirror cleave, one axe cleaving the front and left, the other the back and right. That would make this fight a lot more difficult…

################################

Breathing heavily, Ailyn Shield Bashed yet another DDA member, sending him reeling backwards as he held his face and shouted in pain. Recovering her stance, she looked around for her next opponent, but there were none. The majority of the group was on the ground groaning in pain or totally unconscious, with only the leader still standing as he and Agil hammered away at each other, both being high-endurance two-handed weapon wielders.

"Agil, finish things here. Klein, you and yours support him. Girls, with me!" she ordered, turning and running towards the distant howls and sound of battle from where Kirito and the boss were still fighting. They were halfway there when a familiar voice shouted in pain.

"Kirito!" they cried together, increasing their paces significantly and hoping they made it in time.

#################################

Suguha screamed in fear as her cousin finally stumbled, the boss catching him with a vicious backhanded swing, a glowing red gash opened from left hip to right shoulder and sending him hurtling into one of the trees surrounding the boss area. Slumping to the ground, he seemed totally insensate and incapable of moving as the boss moved in for the kill. With a triumphant bellow, it raised both axes high and brought them plunging down on top of him.

##################################

Steel rang as Ailyn and Sachi both Intervened on the boy they had come to love. Shields upraised, each took an axe to their shield, feet sinking into the snow and the dirt beneath it under the force of the impact. Together, the pair shoved back, rocking the boss back a step, before advancing with a shout as they blew a few of their cool-downs, increasing both their damage and their defensive stats as they began to hammer away at the boss. Twin blurs began to slice away at the boss' rear as Argo and Silica began their own assault. Asuna flitted about as well, avoiding what cleaves she could as she laid down her own punishing barrage of sword skills. Sinon fell to her knees beside Kirito, her HUD clearly showing how low his health was. If he didn't get healed now, he quite possibly would die before they made it back to town.

"C'mon Kirito, stay with me!" she said desperately, trying to help him sit up and get the most powerful healing potion available at their level into him. He groaned, head rolling limply on his neck as he struggled to regain awareness of his surroundings. It took several minutes of coaxing, but he was finally able to down the potion, and then two weaker ones. His mind cleared, his aches faded, and the red gash slowly shut as the potion's effects washed through his body.

"Ungh…Sinon?" he groaned, putting a hand to his head as he shifted a little weakly. Sinon nodded happily, glad that he was safe, and helped him stand as his faculties rapidly began to recover. Running a hand through his hair, he searched for his blade and saw it lying not far away. Looking at Sinon, he ordered her to rejoin the fight while he recovered. Though reluctant, Sinon heeded the command and began hurling her spears at the boss' eyes and joints, hoping to land Debilitating Blows on it.

It took until the boss had less than half of his finally health bar remaining before Kirito had gathered himself enough to be able to rejoin the battle, which he did with fervor.

##########################

The observers watched in awe as the members of Shattered Chains hacked and slashed away at the boss, Kirito landing the final blow with a leaping slash that cleaved its head in two. The boss howled one last time before exploding in a massive cloud of pixels. A long dagger fell to the ground at Silica's feet, while Kirito and Ailyn both received new chest pieces, and the Last Hit item was given to Kirito, which was a pair of armored boots that increased his primary stats, and his movement speed by 15% while in battle.

Finally, the item they actually cared about fell into the snow in front of Kirito: The Divine Stone of Returning Soul. A small sky blue stone in a steel frame, it seemed such a small and innocuous item for such a powerful ability.

"Well, what does the tooltip say?" Ailyn asked impatiently, as the girls gathered around him, and he opened his menu to look.

"Use: Target an allied player and use this item to return them to life. Must be used within ten seconds of death. Cool-down: Two Weeks." He read off, surprised that the item wasn't single-use. While two weeks was a hell of a long time in a death game, being able to save someone's life even that often was an enormous boon. Pocketing it, he looked around at the girls. "Are all of you alright?"

"Hai! You really gave us quite the scare, Kirito." Silica said with a deep frown marring her adorable visage. Walking up to him, she kicked him hard in the shin.

"Gahhhh!" Kirito yelled, falling to the ground and rolling around in the snow, clutching at the abused body part as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. "Why would you do that, Silica?"

"Because you were stupid, Kirito." She said bluntly, frowning down at him, arms crossed over her chest. Turning on her heel, she began to stomp away, the majority of the girls following with muffled giggles and chastising words of their own. Only Asuna remained, offering him a hand to his feet, which he took gratefully.

"I really made them angry, huh?" he said softly and seriously, ruffling his hair agitatedly, and Asuna nodded firmly.

"You made all of us angry, Kirito. None of us can bear the thought of losing you, not when we all care for you as much as we do." She said softly, blushing faintly as she looked down at their still-linked hands.

"Asuna, I'm not going anywhere. I promise, I will never leave you girls. I will always protect you." Kirito promised her just as softly, also blushing, before changing the subject out of waters he had no experience in. "Hey, we need to catch up with the others and get back into town. I don't want to risk any orange guilds coming after us while we're tired and weakened from fighting."

"Ah, yes, of course." Asuna agreed, turning and heading down the path with Kirito following, their hands still linked together as the snow continued to fall all around them.

#################################################

Suguha glared harshly at Asuna's screen, which showed the brunette still holding _her_ cousin's hand tightly as they returned to their friends. Her worry began to grow as the other girls gave him displays of their own affection, having forgiven him for being an idiot, if only temporarily. In this moment she wished that she was inside the game, to defend her claim on her cousin...a claim that she had never had the courage to voice aloud, even to herself.

She vowed then and there to win him for herself the minute that he was free.

#####################################################

 


	8. ALFs and Coffins

#######################################

Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains

Chapter 8

ALFs and Coffins

#######################################

                "Suguha-chan, I really don't know about this..." Mr. Yuuki said slowly, almost a month later. After the epic battle between Kirito's friends and the Divine Dragon Alliance, followed by their slaying of the Special Christmas Event boss and the acquisition of the powerful, rare item he had carried, the Black Alliance, as other players had taken to calling it, had done little but rest and keep their skills sharp. To Suguha's mounting irritation, _her_ Kirito seemed to be getting closer and closer to the women that were amongst his friends. Competition was getting brutally fierce fast, and she wasn't even able to be there in order to compete in the first place!

So, she had sought out ways to make herself more appealing to her love interest. She practiced her cooking and other "womanly" duties by helping the maids with the various tasks around the house. She threw herself into her schoolwork, studying hard so as to impress Kirito with her intelligence when they met once more. It was, in fact, at school where she had heard about her latest tool for getting closer to understanding him, and to making herself more appealing.

The brand new, perfectly safe improvement on the Nervegear made by none other than Asuna's father, and his company, after months of exhaustive testing and development using the information found within the Argus archives. While the original hope had been to use the Amusphere's to access Sword Art Online, the Rescue Unit's hackers still had not managed to penetrate far enough into the servers to do so. And, as the team leader had pointed out: if they could get in deep enough to put people _in_ , they would be in deep enough to get them _out_. So, now the Amusphere was debuting with latest and greatest of VRMMORPG games, ALFheim Online. Created by RECT Progress, it was a game focused aroudn many of the more famed races of the ancient Fae, or the Fairy-kind, and drew very heavily on Norse Mythology, jsut as SAO had drawn heavily on Medieval Europe.

Suguha had decided that if she was going to have a prayer of competing with Kirito's other admirers, than she needed to know about the same kinds of things that they did. That meant gaming. Besides, watchign them running around fighting monsters and relaxing together in between missions made her want to try it for herself, without that whole "die in real life" thing that they had to deal with. This decision, however, had drawn protests from several of the adults. Once her own parents had realized she would not be swayed, it had fallen to Mr. Yuuki himself to try and do so.

It wasn't working.

                "Yuuki-san, you yourself said that the Amusphere is perfectly safe. And that I should do something more than schoolwork or staring at a TV screen all day!" Suguha pointed out fairly, and Mr. Yuuki winced slightly, knowing that both things were true. He had in fact said that, but this was hardly what he meant, something she was well aware of.

                "Yes, I meant that you should spend time with your friends from school, perhaps? Go to the mall, maybe a movie or two? I am certainly willing to fund such things for yourself and your friends." The father said, pulling out his last ditch play: the lure of unrestricted time and funds at a mall. What teenage girl could say no to such a thing?!

                "Ah, I appreciate the offer Yuuki-san, but I do not want to impose upon you in such a way. Please. Excuse me." An unnatural one, apparently, the man grumbled to himself in an affectionately amused sort of way. The girl had grown on him quickly, reminding him so much of how his Asuna acted (whenever her mother wasn't around to make life difficult for the both of them), sometimes shy and amiable, and sometimes bold and unyielding. Shrugging, he went to report his failure to the other parents, and to reassure them that he would have his technicians spend special attention to her safety.

################################################

**Welcome to ALFheim Online!**

The bold words filled her mind, their elegant and flowery script lingering for a moment before fading, to be replaced by the next phrase.

**New User Detected, Initiating Character Creation and Tutorial Walkthrough**

In short order, Suguha had selected her race (Slyph, who had the most _womanly_ character modification options) and created her character to be a tall, lithe, busty blonde woman warrior she named Leafa. Quickly running through the tutorial, she watched in amazed excitement as the world warped around her, shifting and changing into the wooded, rustic-looking area that served as the Slyph starting area. She was wearing simple clothing, with very basic longsword belted to her side, and she looked around in awe at the magnificence of the virtual realm she now found herself inside. She was very rapidly beginning to see why Kirito-kun was so engrossed with these games.

                "Heyyyy, Suguha-chaaaaaannnn!" she heard her classmate, Shinata, yell as the sound of running footsteps reached her ears. Turning, she saw another player character, one that looked remarkably similar to her somewhat pathetic classmate, coming towards her. Coming to a halt in front of her, eh put his hands on his knees breathing hard. Thus, he was unprepared and unable to protect himself when her clenched fist hammered down onto his skull. Falling to the ground and clutching his head in pain, the teary-eyed youth stared up at his classmate with a kicked-puppy look that was utterly unsuccessful in making her feel guilty.

                "That is what you get for calling me that. It's Kirigaya-san in the real world, and Leafa in here." She admonished him, before frowning. "And how did you know it was me, anyway?"

                "Ah, your character was standing and walking just like you do in real life! Your body language was the same, so it was easy to figure it out!" the other Slyph said, with the result of her fist impacting his head again, harder than last time. "Now what?!"

                "That was really creepy." Leafa said simply, turning and walking away towards the NPC her HUD tagged as being her Introductory Quest Giver. Sighing to himself, the boy got back to his feet and followed timidly in the wake of the confidently striding young woman he so admired. Speaking of admiring, his eyes fell to the swaying read end in front of him, the loose Linen Pants she was wearing doing little to hide her figure, much like the Linen Tunic she wore did little to hide her good-sized chest. Yanking his gaze away from her physical assets, knowing full well if she caught him he would be in a world of pain both in the game, and the real world. Not to mention, any hope he might bear of ever getting together with Suguha-chan would be vanish so fast his head would spin. Noticing that she was done with the quest giver, he sent her a party request. He was about to explain what it was and how to accept it when she promptly accepted the party, eyes flicking up to where his name would be on her UI, before nodding and walking away, presumably to start her first quest.

Staring after her, this time for an entirely different reason than previously, Recon blinked several times before writing it up to Suguha-chan being herself and followed along.

######################################

                "We all agree then?" an muffled voice spoke from the depths of a small forest on the fiftieth floor, two floors below the frontlines and so far less frequented by those who might object to the nature of the proceedings. With the speaker stood four others, each shrouded in the saem dark, feature-shielding cloak he himself wore.

                "Of course, I see no reason we cannot make a great deal of money out of this situation and those similar to it. It is, after all, just a game." An oily voice responded from one of his companions, sounding rather pleased with the idea of money.

                "Yeah, all that shit about players dying IRL* is bull. Ain't no way that it's true!" the third, carefree and loud, agreed, but his exuberance was drowned by the frankly psychotic rambling of the fourth.

                "Who cares if it's real or not? Gonna cut them, gonna _hurt_ them, _gonna kill them!_ " it cackled madly, and the fifth and final player spoke up, voice level and calculating, bordering on emotionless.

                "Enough, Johnny. Even if this nonsense about players dying in real life were true, the blame for any deaths at our hands would fall purely onto the shoulders of Kayaba Akihiko. After all, we are simply...playing as intended."

                "S-sorry PoH..." the psychotic voice mumbled in apology, and the now named PoH spoke again.

                "XaXa, spread the word to the orange guilds. If they want wealth and the thrill of the hunt, they should disband and join us."

He paused for a long moment, raising a fisted right hand to reveal the image of a coffin embossed with a bizarre, grinning mouth and a skeletal arm.

                "The Red Guild, Laughing Coffin!"

#################################################

A beautiful flame-haired women leaned against the bar of the inn, eyes closed as she rested her left cheek on her hand, the fingers of her right tapping lightly against the untouched glass of whiskey before her. A soft creaking sound let her know yet another person had sat down next to her. Sensing their attention on her, one violet eye cracked open enough to see the figure was male before closing again as she sighed lightly before speaking.

                "No, I don't want to know how many monsters you've killed, no I'm not interested in a date with you. No, I am not a lesbian, and even if I were, no you're not the man to convince me to 'go straight'." She drawled, disgust coloring her tone as she obviously thought about previous encounters with members of her new bar-mates gender.

                "While all of that is good to know, and I think it is a damn shame a women as beautiful as you has such an issue with my gender, that's not why I'm here." The male voice said amused, a teasing note in his voice. "As a matter of fact, I'm here to meet a young woman named Rosalia. You wouldn't happen to know her, would you?"

                "I think you know exactly who you're talking to, Kirito-san." Rosalia smirked, opening her eyes fully to look at her companion. "After all, I am sure Argo-san compiled quite the dossier on me after you mentioned my message to your guild. I'm willing to bet that the majority of you allies are nearby, too, just in case."

                "Well, can you blame me? When the leader of an Orange guild asks to meet with me in a small inn, out here in the end of nowhere, I might wonder for my safety." He commented, and Rosalia snorted in amusement.

                "Right, that was the primary concern of your posse of girlfriends. The fact that I have a reputation for being a flirt and beautiful had nothing to do with them coming along to watch." She responded, getting a baffled look in response. Staring at him for a long moment, Rosalia continued incredulously. "Don't tell me you've not seen it?"

                "Seen what?" the honest confusion in his face and voice struck her dumb for a moment, before she began laughing almost hysterically, a sound that Kirito found himself forced to admit that he rather enjoyed. He could certainly see why the 20-something lady gamer had so many would-be suitors and fans.

                "We can have that discussion later, Kirito-san." She said after getting control of her amusement, though laughter still bubbled in her voice. Sobering more, she gestured for Kirito to follow her upstairs to room she had rented. As she turned away, she noticed several of the other players in the inn, people who had been lounging about there for hours or telling boastful stories like most adventurers did in inns, shift slightly as if to follow, before a slightly raised hand from The Black Swordsman settled them, and she shook her head in awed respect. The Shattered Chains were as formidable as she had heard, with people in place for so long. Not to mention that, had this actually been a trap, she never would have thought them to be potential threats...which meant any ambush she planned would have been counter-ambushed in turn. As they ascended the stairs, she addressed Kirito again. "You and your friends are even better than I had heard. It is a small wonder that you are regarded as the over-all leader of the Clearing Forces."

Kirito made a somewhat embarrassed, noncommittal grunt in response as he follwoed her into her room and turned to shut the door. When he turned back to face the room again, his head promptly snapped to the side, eyes closing as he saw Rosalia in nothing more than her underwear.

                "Would you please put on some more clothing, Rosalia-san?" he asked a little gruffly, a blush on his cheeks, and the crimson-haired young woman smirked, though with a faint blush of her own. Casually equipping some casual clothes in the form of a loose Cotton Shirt and a pair of Cotton Breeches, she languidly stretched herself out on her bed as Kirito took the wooden chair next to the small table-desk beneath the room's window. "Now, what was so important you called me out here? The clear group is planning on making a big push soon."

                "I know, that's why I called you." She said, all traces of flirtation and joking gone, though she remained draped across her bed tantalizingly. "I was approached recently by a player calling himself XaXa of the Red Eyes, and he was the member of a newly formed guild by the name of Laughing Coffins."

                "Rather macabre a name, and more than a little strange, but I fail to see..." Kirito started, but Rosalia interrupted him harshly.

                "They plan on becoming the one and only Red Guild of Sword Art Online." Kirito froze as her words entered his ears, staring at her in horrified disbelief as she continued. "They plan on selling their services, any services at all, to whoever is willing to pay."

                "Am I to understand that those services are...?" Kirito whispered, unable to speak it freely through his fear, and she nodded tightly, eyes dark with anger and worry of her own.

                "They will kill anyone and everyone someone is willing to pay to have killed."

                "Let me guess: since your guild is an orange guild, they want you to take the next step and joing them?" Kirito asked, and when she nodded, continued harshly. "Damn them! What are they hoping to accomplish?"

                "It's not just us, either. XaXa mentioned that every orange guild in the game is being approached, just as we were." Rosalia informed him, before addressing his second comment. "Their selling point, which is gaining a lot of ground with people like my subordinates, is that even if the whole "die in game, die in real life" stuff is real, the players can't be blamed. That is to say, any kills they make are not their fault, but Kayaba Akihiko's."

                "Ludicrous. That's like saying a murderer or a rapist isn't at fault for committing their crimes because they grew up in a broken family." Kirito scoffed in disgust, an emotion she shared, though his analogy was a bit odd. At her strange look, he elaborated. "It's this stupid idea that is becoming popular is certain countries, that people with bad experiences in their past shouldn't be held accountable for any wrongs they commit. In true hypocritical fashion, they only want to apply that to random, average people. Heaven help a soldier that has a PTSD attack or something of the sort! No, its life in prison or execution for him!"

                "I agree that does seem fairly stupid." Rosalia nodded, before getting back on subject. "Regardless, my subordinates have bought it hook, line, and sinker. I have _not_! Rob people, put them back into the starting zone for a few months, sure. Criminal, underhanded, even cowardly. All of this I admit is true. I will _not_ , however, become party to murder, much less murders for hire!"

                "So the issue is how to get you out of this situation without you getting killed or hurt." Kirito murmured, thinking hard, before pulling up his Guild Window and issuing a Recall command, instructing all members to return to HQ, before pulling out a teleport crystal and offering it to Rosalia. "We need to discuss this en masse. Gather your things and grab on, please."

Hesitating for a slight moment, she nodded, gathering her pack and loose items before taking hold of the other end of the crystal. With a murmured command and a blaze of white-blue light, the pair vanished from an inn in the middle of nowhere, to reappear in the fully established headquarters of the Shattered Chains Coalition. Small when compared to the massive complexes of the other major guilds, it was nonetheless a large and imposing structure, a stone keep set into the side of a cliff near the biggest forest-side lake of the 22nd floor, enclosed by a high stone wall and an outer perimeter wooden palisade.

While Kirito and his companions had originally wanted something small and homely, they quickly found that demi-human class mobs, such as Kobolds, Sahagin, or Goblins, would occasionally attack lone settlements outside of the defensive perimeter of the major cities, towns, and villages. This meant that, unless they wanted to constantly have rotating watches made up of themselves and their allies, they would need to acquire a fortress-type building, which came with their own NPC guard forces. Thus the small fortified keep that they called home, though it was officially deeded as "Freedom's Progress".

#################################

                "Damn them...!" Sinon snarled, slamming a fist into the round table that the Coalition was seated at. The Coaliton, formed primarily out of the members of _Shattered Chains_ , _Fuurinkazen_ , _Col Worl*,_ and _Blood Legion**_ with other non-affiliated players, mostly crafters and gatherers, supporting them. "Were we of the Clearing Force not _perfectly clear_ on what we would do to people who tried this kind of shit?"

                "We were, but in the end their argument gives them a supposed out. It's pathetic, underhanded, and a complete farce, but it exists nonetheless." The leader of _Col Worl_ grunted from inside his massive, heavy plate armor. Ggodmachina (more commonly referred to as "GG") rivaled Agil in sheer size, and was one of the Coalition's dedicated heavy tanks on the front lines.

                "The question before us now is thus: what do we do now? Can we afford to ignore them, in favor of clearing the current front line as planned? Or, do we deal with them and risk losing our forward momentum?" Kirito interjected as several members of the table opened their own mouths to speak.

                "I suggest we do both. Rosalia said that this guild would perform their first mission after the orange guilds joined them?" the leader of _Blood Legion_ mused, tilting his helmed head slightly to the side. When Rosalia and Kirito nodded, he continued. "Then we kill two birds with one stone. Rosalia can feed us the information we need to intercept the attack, allowing us to either eliminate or imprison a significant number of this newly-formed guild, keeping them from posing much of a threat while we finish with our current push. Once the next floor is opened, we of the front line can turn our attention to keeping the peace for a time. Allowing such thoughts as this PoH's philosophy to spread will be massively damaging to the community, and make clearing very hard to do."

                "Not to mention they might get contracts for prominent members of the Front Line forces. I know quite a few people would be willing to pay significantly to see Kirito dead, as well as many others in this room." Argo pointed out, voice cold as her expression clearly said what would happen to anyone who tried to murder Kirito.

                "Alright, so we draw them in and cut them off. Cripple them so that they cannot pose a threat for the foreseeable future." Sachi mused, but Ailyn shook her head, thumping the butt of her lance on the ground to draw attention to her, where she stood at Kirito's right shoulder.

                "No. If we're going to do this, we need to ensure that they cannot become a threat, ever. We must annihilate them. Purge their entire member-base and those of their allies. Not a single member or associate can escape alive or un-imprisoned." She said harshly, drawing startled looks from her apparent bloodthirstiness. Shaking her head, she continued. "I may loathe the idea of claiming another human's life, but when the other option is to be constantly looking over our shoulders in fear of bloody retribution in the dead of night..." she shook her head again, thumping her lance for emphasis. "No, we need to ensure that we get them _all_."

                "She is right. Cruel though it may sound, if we don't get them all, alive or dead, the survivors will constantly be waiting for us to let our guards down so they can get revenge." GG grunted, and Kirito looked at Rosalia.

                "So, Rosalia and her guild-members will accept this offer. She will gather the names of every single member via the Guild Information Log, what levels they are, learn where their hideouts are, and any preliminary clients. Than we move in and take them all out. Control of the guild and all of its resources will automatically default to the only surviving or 'free' player, that being Rosalia herself. That will give us an even greater advantage for discovering anything we might have missed in the preparation stages." Kirito decided, getting various sounds and gestures of acknowledgement and agreement. Closing the meeting, he and the other leaders rose together and bowed slightly in respect and farewell before dispersing back to their own activities, leaving Rosalia and the members of _Shattered Chains_ to themselves.

                "This is going to shake things up significantly, Kirito." Rosalia said softly, getting a tired sigh and a nod from the Black Swordsman.

                "Yes, I know. Stay safe, Rosalia." He said kindly, and she nodded with a blush before leaving, causing a mental groan to run through the other women at the appearance of yet another competitor, this one with the advantage of a gorgeous, twenty-something body as opposed to their own, still growing teen forms. Bidding each other goodnight, each member went their separate ways, each planning for the future to some degree. Each praying things would go well, for themselves and for their friends.

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***This is a guild I am actually in when I play World of Warcraft, though I do not play it at this time, on Illidan. The name is a play on Cold World, as in "It's a Cold, Cold World." However, it is said without the d-sound.**

**** Blood Legion is another major guild on Illidan, one could say _the_ major raiding guild, at least until recently. I heard they more or less disbanded of late.**


	9. Blood

**I did apply some personal logic referring to the Medicuboids into this. That reasoning is that while the Sleeping Knights and the like do not exit the game often, if ever, they are _able_ to due to the fact that they're not Nervegear and not part of the SAO disaster. I also moved the Konno sibling's move into ALO up by a couple of years, for reasoning that will become apparent.**

**Furthermore, I created the idea of all the SAO patients being in one mega-hospital, simply because that would have been the most logical thing to do, so they could all be monitored more easily and simultaneously.**

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Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains

Chapter Nine

Blood

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 _One wonders who is really in charge these days._ Yuuki Shouzou mused to himself in amusement as he watched Kirigaya Suguha holding court from her place in front of the Information Desk of the largest hospital in Japan, the newly constructed Sacred Hope Hospital for International Disasters.

Not long after the SAO disaster had begun, the Pope himself had made an international address, calling for all men and women of every nation to come together and help to care for the victims until they were freed from their virtual prison.

While the call had been responded to by every land, it had been the Catholic Church (naturally, as it was their leader who made the call) who had responded with the most vigour. Tens of billions of dollars had begun flowing to the SAOVRU in addition to their governmental funding, and they had been put to good use. Plans had quickly been drawn up for a massive hospital complex, capable of holding every single victim of the incident, or any other disaster that might occur in the Eastern Hemisphere. The complex was designed to sit upon a man-made island in Tokyo Bay, with a trio of bridges as well as ferry services running 24/7 to shuttle staff and visitors to the premises.

 Workers, equipment, and designers had flooded into the island nation by the thousands, and the U.N. Security Council had sent large forces of their most elite military groups to help ensure the protection of first the workers, and then the victims and staff.

With the aid and skill of every major power and several minor ones, the complex had been completed in less than a year, a feat that had previously been thought utterly impossible. However, as the Pope was quick to point out in his follow-up address after the U.N. had issued a somewhat grudging thank you for the support of the world's Catholics, such was the power and beauty of the world working in concert for a single, righteous cause.

Now, the patients were beginning to arrive from across the world, though the majority was from Japan and America, and Suguha had quickly taken command of the situation. First using the head of the SAOVRU as a mouthpiece, then more directly, she had begun by dividing the victims up into categories. The children were in one section, their in-game caretakers split up amongst the rooms, while the other 'campers' (those who were not actively trying to clear the game) were placed in another section. The Clearing Force were in the most heavily staffed section, given the more extreme risks to their health. The last section was very different indeed. With reinforced doors, walls, and windows, it could only be entered or exited by checkpoints, staffed by armed guards provided by the military. It was in this section that the criminals of SAO were placed. People who had been convicted and imprisoned of a crime within the game. This had been done at the very strong urging of himself, with Suguha in full agreement, after they had discussed what to do with those individuals. They had come to agree that they could pose a risk to the safety of the non-criminal players, especially those who captured them, and that they needed to be contained until the real world police could take them into custody.

Asuna's father shuddered slightly as he remembered Suguha bringing him up to speed on the next hurdle their family faced. To think, a group of people in that world that were going to dedicate themselves to murdering others for profit, and under such flimsy and amoral reasoning, at that. He hated the scapegoat attitude of the modern world as much as Kirito and Suguha did. He just prayed that none of the decent people in that world perished in their efforts to stamp out such trash. He would not, however, shed any tears if certain monitors registered a flat-line in response to their efforts. Some might consider him cruel for thinking that, but any man or women who killed another for no better reason than money was not only scum, but no longer human.

                “Yuuki-san, it looks like everything is all set here. You promised your wife we would be home in time for dinner, ne? If so, we might want to get going.” The voice of the young miss Kirigaya brought him out of his musings, and he turned a warm smile to her.

                “Hai, Hai. My dear wife does not appreciate it when people make her wait at the table. Something my dear daughter inherited from her, I dare say.” He sighed a little wistfully before turning to escort the girl back to their transportation.

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Several hours later found Suguha logging back into ALO, eager to rejoin all of the friends she had made in the game, many of which were not even Slyphs.

There was Alicia Rue, a beautiful if short, dark skinned blonde with golden eyes and the frankly adorable ears and tail of the cat-race of ALO, the Cait Sith. Smart-talking and flirty, the only thing that moved faster than her wit were the twin claw gauntlets she wielded.

Sakuya, a fellow Slyph that was very popular with their people for both her beauty and her grace. With long hair and longer legs, she cut a figure that many women would be, and were, jealous of. Especially when she dressed in traditional Japanese clothing and ornamentation, with a katana hanging from the obi around her waist.

Incidentally, both of these young women were at the very top of the running for being the leaders of their respective factions, each hoping to achieve the Lordship in order to try and foster better relations between the two peoples.

Then of course there was Recon, who was almost perpetually flustered from being surrounded by such beauties, and often made a fool out of himself as he tried to be impressive and manly, only to bungle the entire situation. It was actually really rather amusing, all things considered.

Regardless, between the amount of fun that the game was, and her friends, she could see just why Kazuto loved these games so much, and spent so much time in them before the whole SAO disaster.

The world around her finished forming, resolving itself into the interior of the largest inn beneath Yggdrasil, the World Tree Inn. Given her friendship with a member of a rival faction, her group spent the vast majority of their time in the neutral territory where all the territories met, that being the massive, neutral capital city of Asgard, which surrounded the entire base of the world tree. While the city was technically divided into nine sections, one for each major race (in fact, this was decided because the point where all their territories met was the world tree itself, making the neutral city _technically_ 9 small cities that blended together. Not that anyone cared to split such thin hairs) it was unlawful to attack or kill anyone within city limits without declaring a duel, or in response to an unprovoked attack. Those whose broke this rule usually found themselves attacked by the city guardians, stripped of their gear, and dumped into the wilderness outside the city limits with a cool-down preventing them from reentering the city for a month. Needless to say, it only took a few examples of this before the player-base at large decided to leave the factional squabbling for more appropriate venues.

                "Heyyyy~! Leafaaaaaa~!"

Leafa's lung emptied themselves in a rush as Alicia glomped her from behind with a cheerful cry of her name. Stumbling slightly, Leafa looked over her shoulder to see the cat-like smirk on the other girl's face and huffed at her in wry amusement.

                "Do I look like a climbing post, kitty?" she asked, raising one eyebrow, and Alicia's smirk broadened as she nodded, eyes sparkling with mischief and amusement.

                "Nyaaaaan~, Leafa! Nyaaaaaaan~!" the blond purred playfully, and Leafa shook her head again with an exaggerated sigh of long suffering.

                "Oh, my~!" Sakuya's gentle and musical voice came from her left, and she turned (Alicia giggling on her back as she swayed with the movement) to see the taller woman standing there, demurely giggling into the sleeve of her kimono. "You are as playful as ever, dear Alicia."

                "And you are as formal and boring as ever, Sakuya!" the cat-girl taunted in return, the warmth and affection in her expression taking any potential insult from the words, and Leafa gave an unladylike snort at the huff and frown that the bluenette gave to the vertically challenged blonde.

                "Regardless of certain people's immaturity," Sakuya ignored the resultant tongue that was aired in her direction by 'certain people' and smiled at Leafa. 'It is good to see you again, Leafa. I hope everything is alright with your love?"

                "He's alright, all things considered." Leafa blushed faintly at Sakuya's words. She had told her friends the truth, that the boy she was in love with was one of the people trapped in SAO, and that she knew someone at the SAOVRU who gave her updates on his condition. His name and the finer details, however, were kept to herself. Frowning, her thoughts of Kirito were disrupted by the knowledge of the threat they were preparing to face. "Unfortunately, things seem to be getting alot worse in that world. There is a group that is hiring out their blades to kill for money. K-kun and his Coalition are planning on fighting with them, but I am afraid he and his friends will get hurt or killed doing it."

                "Ha..? People will kill other for money, knowing that they will die in real life? Dispicable." Sakuya sneered hatefully, suprising Alicia and Leafa with the sudden show of negative emotion, something highly unusual for the kind and graceful young woman.

                "Their excuse is that it isn't their fault, but Kayaba Akihiko's for putting them in such a situation." Leafa explained, her tone and body language making it clear what her opinion of that reasoning was.

                "Well that's stupid! Kayaba-teme isn't making them take the money, isn't making them kill people! They could just do what K-kun is doing and try to clear the game that much faster!" Alicia growled, dropping onto her feet and padding around to stand beside Leafa. "Besides, don't they know what will happen to them once the game is cleared?"

                'Well, they figure that if the game is cleared, the data will be destroyed, and they will be home free." Leafa shrugged, as the trio of girls exited the inn and started down the street towards the Flight Point that would take them to a neutral town in the wilderness, where they planned on using as the start point for the day's hunting trip.

                "Excuse me?" a young, female voice none of them knew interrupted, causing them all to turn and look towards it's source. Standing there were two girls, both about their age, and both of them members of the Imp race.

The first, who looked to be slightly older than the second, had deep burgundy eyes, long plum-colored hair, and was wearing heavy plate armor, with a massive battle-axe hanging on her back. The way that she was standing and the general aura of unshakable confidence around her reminded Leafa a great deal of Agil, the massive former Marine that followed her Onii-chan. Of course, the aforementioned heavy armor and battle-axe helped to encourage the impression.

The second, however, reminded her far more of Asuna than anyone else. Slim, built for speed and agility, wearing light armor and wielding a rapier. She, like her companion, also had red eyes and purple hair, though her eyes were a brighter scarlet and her hair an interesting purplish-black whilst hanging nearly to the backs of her knees.

                "Yes, can we help you?" Leafa asked politely, if confusedly, as she and her group came to a halt and turned to them, their attention and willingness to listen inviting the pair to approach, an invitation that they took readily.

                "I was wondering...are you Kirigaya Suguha-sama?" the elder of the two asked, and Leafa took an unconscious step back, hand falling onto the hilt of her sword as she tensed.

                "How do you know my name?" she bit out harshly, her mind racing as she thought back over the last week. She didn't think anyone had been following her, and she was rarely anywhere other than the new hospital, the Yuuki House, and school. For someone to know her name in the game, they would have had to spend a great deal of time and effort spying on her.

                "I promise you my sister and I mean you no harm. In fact, we dearly want to ask you for your help. It is quite literally a matter of life or death." Came the calm reply, as the girl held up her hands in a placating gesture, and Suguha relaxed slightly at the honesty and the pleading in her voice.

                "Fine, I'll get us a private room." She sighed, unable to resist the oppurtunity to help someone. She was too much like her Kirito, she supposed, for as cold and stand-offish as he could be, he was always extending a helping hand. Turning around, she led the group back into the inn and began the chat-chain with the inn keep, acquiring a private room for the day in exchange for five gold pieces. Ascending the stairs and opening the door, she watched as the two strangers sat together on the bed, while Sakuya and Alicia both took up flanking positions beside the room's single chair, which Sakuya had turned to face the bed. Sitting down, the blond warrior sighed nad folded her hands under her chin. "So, what is all of this?"

                "My name is Konno Aiko, and this is my younger sister Yuuki. We know that you are the cousin of Kazuto Kirigaya-sama, the _Kuro no Kenshi_ of the  <<Shattered Chains>> and Clearing Force Commander of Sword Art Online. We know that you have very powerful friends, and it is because of those friends we approach you now."

                "If you have relatives in the game, then I am sorry but even my connections can't help..." Suguha started to respond with a sad frown, missing the looks she was getting from Sakuya and Alicia. "The head of the SAOVRU himself has told me that they know of no way to save anyone..."

                "While we appreciate the thought, that is not what we are talking about. We were lucky enough not to have lost anyone to that madman's machinations." Aiko shook her head in denial with a small smile on her face at the concern and sympathy in the blonde's voice. Hopefully, her good nature would save the pair of them.

                "Then I am afraid I'm confused. You know who I am, you know about my 'powerful friends', and you even know about Kazuto-kun. You even say it is a matter of life or death, and outside of SAO I am not sure what all of those things have in common." Suguha folded her arms under her bust, pushing them up slightly and causing a moment of distraction to the other occupants of the room. Shaking her head the tiniest fraction to refocus herself, Aiko nodded.

                "I can understand your reasoning, but it is a little more convoluted than that. You see, while you were busy arranging all of the SAO victims at the new hospital, my sister and I, and those like us, were being transferred into a separate, smaller wing. Our parents overheard you talking to Yuuki-dono and Kikouka-san, and they told us about you."

                "Well, that explains how you know all the things you mentioned earlier, but I still don't understand..." the other girl started, before Aiko answered the unfinished question.

                "You see, my family and I were infected by a batch of bad blood a couple of years ago, with HIV/AIDS. My sister and I are even now lying in a wing of that hospital using something called the Medicuboid, and it is there we will remain until we die." Aiko explained, to the shock and sadness of her listeners.

                "I cannot imagine..." Sakuya said sadly, shaking her head slowly as her eyes grew misty, while Alicia had a furious look on her face.

                "What kind of piece of shit doctors did you have that you all got infected with bad blood, never mind at the same time!" she snarled, deeply upset by the incompetence or negligence that had led to such a horrifying fate.

                "I have to agree with Alicia, this is horrible! How could that possibly happen?!" Suguha gasped, and the sisters shrugged together.

                "We don't know. We didn't have the money to hire any lawyers, so we couldn't afford a lawsuit, never mind any treatments or experimental cures. My parents only have weeks to live, my sister and I another two years at the longest."

                "So you came to me, knowing that I have influence enough to maybe save your family." Suguha leaned back in her chair, the pieces coming together, and both sister's looked regretful.

                "I'm sorry to try and manipulate your emotions, to use you like this, but I am willing to do all that and more to save Yuuki-chan. I could never rest in peace knowing I didn't try to save her." Aiko's voice was heavy with regret and shame, but the love she held for her sister, and the determination to save her, was as clear as the sun in the sky, and Suguha felt her heart warm at the sight.

                "I promise you that I will talk to Yuuki-san about helping your family. If there is anything that can be done, I will make sure it is." She promised firmly, and only her two friends quickly stabilizing the chair kept her from toppling over backwards as both sisters tackle-hugged her, tears streaming down their faces as they sobbed their thanks.

Sakuya and Alicia exchanged long looks, a mutual agreement to interrogate Leafa-no, _Suguha_ , at their next opportunity in their expressions. She had obviously kept a great deal from them, and they were rather sore about that. For now, however, perhaps it was best to help calm the two sisters before they choked the blonde in between them to death.

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                "Yuuki-san, you have to understand what you are asking is less than simple..." the best HIV/AIDS doctor in the world told a somewhat unimpressed Yuuki Shouzou and a frowning Kirigaya Suguha. "Not only is there incredible expense involved, but the risk is massive. Her parents would never survive this procedure, and the two sisters have only a 75% of coming through it."

                "Cost is of no object, but explain to me the procedure, and detail the risks." Shouzou instructed, shifting his weight slightly to be more comfortable. When Suguha-chan had brought the situation before him, he had of course been horrified and angry, much as any decent person would be. The sheer negligence that was resulting in an entire family, including two children in their teens, withering away was unfathomable, mostly because the situation should have been entirely preventable. He had been somewhat leery of attempting to cure them, knowing that there was no true cure yet, but Suguha had insisted he read an article from Germany, detailing the first case of curing HIV/AIDS. Ten hour later, the doctor who had written it had arrived in Japan.

                "Do you know much of anything about HIV/AIDS, sir?" the doctor asked, and the other man grimaced, shaking his head in response. "Well, the reason it is so dangerous is that it is _smart_. We can, in fact, cure people of HIV/AIDS. However, the disease leaves part of itself dormant, inactive inside of the host body. There it waits until the active portions of the disease are eradicated, before waking up and re-infecting the subject, multiplying and sending fresh portions into dormancy. We have not yet determined a sure-fire way to locate and destroy these dormant portions, preventing us from truly curing someone."

                "I think I understand. You're saying that you could cure someone a hundred times and never gain any headway." Asuna's father mused, and the doctor nodded in agreement, garnering another grimace. "Damn nature, sometimes its power and smarts are far more destructive than helpful."

                "Indeed, sir. I can assure you that doctor's all over the world feel the same way everyday of our lives." The doctor said sympathetically, eyes darkening as he thought of all the people he had failed to save. He remembered every name, every funeral, every heart-broken family. And he would never allow himself to forget them, his inspiration and incentive. Shaking himself slightly, he rejoined. "However, my proposed cure, and it is barely worthy of being called a clinical trial, is to infect the patients with a controlled strain of leukemia, which would attach itself to all of the same cells as the HIV/AIDS virus. Then, using a full-body blood, bone marrow, and white blood-cell transfusion, we can completely eradicate both diseases."

                "Yes, and that is where the danger comes in, I assume?" Shouzou asked, and the doctor nodded.

                "Indeed, sir. Such a procedure is extremely risky and puts an incredible amount of strain on the patient's body. That is why only the children have any chance of survival. As teens, their bodies are reaching the peak of endurance and durability, while their parents are older and more...well, fragile, sir."

He shook his head a little sadly, looking at Suguha.

                "I'm sorry, Miss Kirigaya, but the only options I can offer your friends are to die together as a family, or for them to risk their lives for the ability to watch their parents die years before their time." His voice seeped with regret and no small amount of resigned self-condemnation.

                "Please, do not blame yourself. The fault lies in whatever idiotic trash gave them the bad blood. I'm going to go talk it over with them now, I will let you know what they decide." Suguha said with a bow, before sweeping away to do just that.

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Suguha sat silently to the side, tears in her eyes, as the family talked amongst themselves about who would live and who would die. Never in her worst nightmares would she have imagined that she would have to put such a situation before _anyone_ , yet here she sat.

                "Kirigaya-san?" the father of the family spoke up, and she looked up to see they had stopped talking and were looking at her. Seeing she had her attention, he continued. "My wife and I have decided that we want you to tell the doctor and Yuuki-sama that we accept their offer. Even if we cannot be cured, we will be able to rest in peace knowing that our beloved daughter's will live."

                "I understand, and I promise you that, even if Yuuki-san cannot or won't help after you...after, than my family and I will do what we can, in addition to securing justice for you and your children." Suguha bowed low from her seated position, a bow that was returned in kind by the family, though the two children looked heartbroken. Not that she could blame them. Getting to her feet, she quietly slipped from the room to give them privacy and inform the two older men of their decision.

                "Well?" the doctor asked softly as the teenage girl returned to stand beside Yuuki-san, and received a subdued nod in response.

                "They will do it." Was all she said.

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End file.
